Somebody
by Puck's Girl
Summary: Noah Puckerman's life changed after his father left. What did that have to do with Rachel Berry? PuckleBerry She blinked. More than once. He didn't know if it was some kind of Morse code for an SOS or if she had something in her eye...
1. A Kick in the Balls

Noah Puckerman hated school. I mean, yeah, it was good for football and for getting a piece of ass, but really, who needed it?

He really didn't need this.

He was sitting in front of Ms. Pillsbury, discussing his grades. He slouched down further in his chair, trying his best to ignore the germaphobe. Maybe if he tried hard enough, she would sound like the adults in those peanuts movies.

"If your grades don't improve, Mr. Puckerman, you will have to stop playing football and quit Glee."

That snapped him out of his funk. He sat up like his grandmother yanked on his ear. "Wait, what?"

"If your grades don't improve, you will not play football. Or be in Glee." She said again, reaching for her hand sanitizer.

Did someone just punch him in the stomach? "Glee? What does Glee have to do with grades?"

She smiled. "It has everything to do with it. If you don't maintain a 2.0, you will not be eligible to compete at regionals."

"What?" He sputtered, trying to sound nonchalant about having to quit Glee. "Mr. Schue..."

"Mr. Schuester is aware of the situation, Mr. Puckerman. That's why you are here. We are under the impression that a tutor would be beneficial to your situation."

"A tutor?"

"Yes, actually, she should be here soon."

Puck smirked. "She, huh?" A she? Couldn't be that bad. Maybe one of those girls with tight sweaters and glasses.. Nice..

Then a bomb dropped.

His new tutor hurried in, nearly dropping her books in the process. "Sorry, I'm late, Ms. Pillsbury, I was rehearsing and.."

Puck looked between Ms. Pillsbury and the new visitor. "No way."

"Thank you for coming, Ms. Berry. Please, sit down."

Rachel Berry smiled and took the unoccupied seat. She hadn't even glanced his way. "There is no problem. I will whip him into shape."

"There is nothing wrong with my shape, Berry." Puck interjected, insulted. "Not that you wouldn't know.." he leered at her, his tongue behind his teeth.

Rachel turned her nose up in the air. "I really don't care enough to look at your form. I was referring to your education."

Whatever...

Ms. Pillsbury interjected there. "I believe that is enough, Mr. Puckerman. Ms. Berry will tutor you everyday after your football practice. If your grades do not improve by the end of the semester, you will have to quit Glee and football."

"Everyday?" They both gasped.

"Yes, everyday. It shouldn't be too hard given the fact that you both live next door to each other. I contacted both of your parents and explained the situation..."

Oh fuck me. "You called my MOTHER?"

**************************

He was still seething when he walked into Glee later that day. Everyone was talking, laughing, and he just wanted to get the hell out of there. Mr. Schue was looking through the music, talking to the piano guy. Finn was holding court with Quinn and Berry, both looking at him with those stupid googly eyes that were disgusting. Puck grimaced and sat in an empty chair, stretching out his legs.

Rachel Berry took that moment to pounce.

"Noah, I was thinking about.."

"Puck, Berry. My name is Puck." He ground out, the muscles in his jaw twitching.

She stared at him for a minute, before finally speaking. "You never minded before if I called you Noah."

Ah hell.. "That was a long time ago, Berry. We both changed."

"We haven't.."

Mr. Schuester took that opportunity to start class.

Thank God for small mercies.

"Okay, everyone. We have three weeks till Regionals and I think that we have our routines down pat. There is one problem."

"Problem?" Rachel piped up beside Puck. "What problem? We are perfect vocally and in our choreography. I haven't seen anything insinuating that we have a problem."

Mr. Schue smiled. "You're right, Rachel. Everything is perfect vocally. The problem that we have is chemistry. It is duet time."

Everyone groaned.

"I will be picking partners and you will have two weeks for practice before singing in front of the school at our assembly. Everyone will sing. The partners are as follows: Artie and Mercedes, Rachel and Puck..."

Puck heard, but he didn't believe.

What the fuck?

**********

By the time Puck finally made it home, he was incensed. He slammed the door of his truck, not caring if the piece of shit fell apart around his ears. By the time he made it to his room, all he wanted to do was sleep.

His life was shit. That was all there was to it. Not only was he partnered with Rachel Berry, but Quinn took him aside after Glee and told him that he wasn't the father of her baby. Apparently, she had sex with someone else after him. Was that supposed to make him feel better? Quinn thought so. He was supposed to leave her alone now and let her raise _her_ baby with Finn.

Why did life decide to kick him in the balls today?

He really needed to talk to someone.

No.

He really needed to kill someone.

He fell back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He could remember a time, just like this one when he wasn't alone. He closed his eyes and remembered.

_Rachel Berry was plastered against his side, her head on his chest. His 11 year old self smiled, running his hand through her hair. _

_"Noah?" _

_"Rach?"_

_"What do you want to be when you grow up?" She asked, resting her hand on his chest._

_"A football player, I guess. The lead guitarist to Guns and Roses. I don't know." He looked down at her face on his chest. "What about you?"_

_She laughed, looking up at him. "I want to be a star."_

_He laughed with her._

His eyes snapped open and he saw the last person he wanted to see.

The gods hated him. He was sure.


	2. Stroll Down Memory Lane

**A/N: I wanted to thank everyone for reviewing and alerting his story! **

**I also wanted to say that I have no idea if the show has said anything about when Puck's father left, but in my story it wasn't all that long ago.**

**Thanks again for everything! :)**

**Chapter Two: Stroll Down Memory Lane**

_The gods hated him. He was sure. _

"What do you want, Berry?" he asked, rolling off the bed.

Rachel looked around the room, taking in her surroundings. "Your room hasn't changed much.."

Fuck me. "I didn't ask for decorating tips, Berry. I asked what you wanted."

Rachel opened her mouth to tell him exactly what she thought of him, but the sight of the rumpled bed stopped her. The light blue sheets had been exactly the same the night that she had come to him, tried to comfort him after his father left him and his mother.

Puck watched the emotions wash over her face as she stared at the bed. Oh hell, the sheets...

_Being inside her was pure torture. She was so tight, so hot, that he felt like a virgin again. He stared at the light blue sheets, trying not to let go before he was ready. He heard her sharp intake of breath, felt her hips move under his. His hand reached under her body, holding her to him. Puck got up on his elbow and looked into her eyes. "Don't move, Rachel. Just wait until you're ready."_

_Rachel nodded, felt the tear slip out of the corner of her eye and roll down her temple. She felt his thumb wipe the tear away, cup her face. "Noah.." she whispered, turning her face into his hand._

_"I'll take care of you, Rach." he whispered, bringing his lips down to hers._

Puck felt his pants tightening at the memory. Rachel just stared at the bed, lost in her own memories. He couldn't take the look on her face anymore. "What the hell do you want, Berry?"

Rachel snapped out of her trance, blushing as she looked into his eyes. "I.." she cleared her throat and tried to will her blush away. "I'm here to tutor you..." she cleared her throat again. "You forgot your music sheets at rehearsal and I told Mr. Schue and I would give them to you." She rushed out, throwing the music sheets on his bed.

"Oh."

"Yeah." Rachel replied, looking around for somewhere to sit.

"Uh, do you want to do this in the kitchen?" Puck asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Your mom is getting food ready before she goes to work." Rachel replied, turning a chair over to sit on it.

Puck felt like such an ass. "Uh, yeah. She goes to work in a couple minutes, so if you want to do it down there, we can."

"Do it?" Rachel squeaked, her blush returning.

Puck almost felt like laughing at her. "I think once was enough, Berry." he sneered at her, trying his best to be the bastard that she thought him to be.

Rachel Berry looked like someone shot her with a metal dart.

Noah Puckerman instantly felt like shit. "Shit, Rach.." He tried to reach for her, but something in her eyes stopped him. He felt like they were in one of those stand offs in the movies. Each waiting for the other to do something. "I'm sorry, Berry. That was out of line."

"It was. Apology accepted."

He wanted to give her a moment to compose herself, so collected the music sheets from off the bed. He was halfway down stairs before he realized he left her in his room.

Fuck!

*********************

Rachel Berry sat on Noah Puckerman's bed, the place where she lost her virginity, mulling over what just happened. Try as he might to be a jerk, she couldn't help but see his reaction to her being in his room. He looked like a cat backed into a corner.

So he wasn't so unaffected as he wanted her to believe.

_Rachel felt desperate. _

_Desperate for what, she didn't know. All she knew was that she didn't want to stop kissing him. She ran her hands over his bare back, reaching the curve of his spine before making her way back up to his hair. She heard him groan into her mouth, felt the smooth slide of his tongue against hers._

_She gave herself up to the kiss, wanting him to know how badly she wanted him. She pushed her hips up against his, once again marveling that she was actually having sex with Noah Puckerman. It was completely unreal, but at the same time, exactly where she wanted to be. _

_With exactly the right person._

_Noah pulled back from the kiss, searching her face. "Are you okay?" _

_Rachel nodded. "Noah, please.." she whispered, arching her body. _

_"I've got you.." he whispered, slowly withdrawing from her body before pressing back in. He heard her sharp intake of breath over his groan. "Tell me if I'm hurting you." he ground out, once again backing out of her body._

_"No.. Noah.." she whimpered, crying out when he seated himself within her more fully. __"Yes.. please.." _

_He began a steady rhythm and Rachel loved the feel of his body so deep inside her. The pain had faded long ago, and now there was only pleasure. _

_Only Noah.._

Puck leaned against the door jam, watching Rachel.

Fuck she was pretty...

Whoa, Dude. Where the hell did that thought come from? Rachel Berry was not pretty. She was annoying and only looked good when she had a slushy dripping down her face.

"Berry? What the hell are you waiting for? Quinn to have her baby?"

***********************

What seemed like twenty years later to Puck, they were finally done with homework. He slammed his book shut, disgusted. "Thank God that's over with." He pushed back from his kitchen table and walked over to the fridge. "You want a soda?" He asked over his shoulder, opening the door.

Rachel smiled that mega watt smile that had Finn nipping at her heels. "Sure. Thanks."

Puck grunted in response, placing a Coke in front of her. "So what now? Are we done?"

"You are pretty smart, Noah. I don't know why you need a tutor." Rachel told him, tapping the top of her Coke with her fingernail.

Puck shrugged, flipping the top of his Coke open and downing half of it in one gulp. "I guess I just need a pain in the ass like you to get me to do it."

Rachel opened her Coke and took a small sip that she couldn't have tasted. "Be that as it may, we still need to start our Glee duet."

Puck really tried not to groan. "Right now?" He whined, shuffling through his papers to find their duet sheet music. He couldn't suppress the groan as he saw the song. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"What?"

"Crusin?"

"Crusin what?" Rachel asked, her brow puckering between her waxed brows.

Puck wanted to smack her. "The song, Berry! Crusin by Smokey Robinson? Seriously?"

"Really?" Rachel asked, taking the papers from his hands. "I didn't look at it when he gave it to us. I love this song!"

"It's a love song, Berry. I can't sing a love song with you!"

"Why not? Glee is about emotion. You don't have to be in love to sing a love song. Let's just try it and we'll see."

******************

For whatever reason, Puck decided that they should practice the song in his room. His reasoning was that he had his guitar up there and his computer, so they could download the song and divide the parts.

His reasons sucked. He just missed having her there. He didn't realize how much.

After listening to the song for the hundredth time, Rachel was finally satisfied. "So I think that I have all of this put together." She sat down on his bed, pulling him next to her. She held up the paper between them. "I can sing this part and you harmonize here with me." She pointed to the sheet with each sentence. "Then, you sing here and I will harmonize here. Then we go from there." She stared at the paper, her mind filled with the possibilities.

Puck looked at her, lost. "What does 'then we go from there' mean?"

Rachel huffed, annoyed with his question. "It means that we sing the way we feel...we do what we want." She looked up from the paper and realized how close they were.

She still smelled the same. Vanilla and Mint. Her face was only inches from his and he felt himself reverting back to last year after his father left. "We do what we want?" he whispered, his voice sounding low and rough to his own ears.

Rachel licked her lips, drawing his attention from her eyes. "We do what we want." she whispered, her eyes moving from his eyes to his lips. "We do what we feel..."

_Do what you feel.... _

_Do what you want..._

Loaded words...

"Do what I want?" Puck whispered, bringing an unsteady hand up to her face.

Rachel shivered, closing her eyes against the emotion she saw in his. Did she really want to know what it was? "Noah.." His groan was the only warning she had before she was in his arms. She opened her eyes to find herself straddling his lap, his face inches from her own.

Lust... Definitely Lust...


	3. History of the Slushie

**A/N: Once again, I would like to thank everyone for their kind reviews and alerts for this story! Now, I am kinda nervous about this chapter, cause it is the first time I have ever written a sex scene, so here we go..**

**Chapter Three: History of the Slushie**

_Lust... Definitely Lust... _

Rachel could feel her heart hammering, her ears buzzing. She could feel his hand cradling her backside beneath her skirt, his other hand tangled in her hair. His mint scented breath came out in small bursts against her face. He pulled her closer, rocking her hips against his. She couldn't suppress the whimper that escaped her lips.

"Tell me you don't want me." Puck whispered, his lips whispering against hers in a sensual caress. "Tell me that you don't want this.."

She opened her mouth, she wanted to tell him that he was wrong, that she felt nothing for him. "I.. Noah.." Her brain wouldn't form the words. "I.."

He watched her blush creep onto her ears, wondered what she was thinking. She had looked just this cute the last time he had held her like this.

_Noah sat on his bed, numb with shock. His father, Mike, had just walked out. Said that he found someone else that made him happy and they were expecting a baby. There was no room in his new life for his wife, Maria, or his son. His mother had taken the blow in stride, telling Mike that if that was what he wanted, then he should leave._

_Noah didn't know what to think. Was he supposed to have an opinion? Did anyone care that his heart was broken? His father had never been one to show emotion, let alone give it. Though Noah had always felt loved, he wasn't sure if that was because of his mother or his father. It didn't really matter anymore anyway. It was just the two of them now._

_The knock on the door shocked him, the silence of the room had been that way for hours. "Come in." _

_Rachel walked in, her pink shirt and short skirt a vibrant color against the dark green of his walls. Her hair was down, a strand of pink pearls wrapped around her throat. Her gray knee socks had a pink stripe at the top, sinking into black mary janes. She looked like Britney Spears from that video. In her hands she held two cherry slushies. "Hi Noah." She smiled, but he could tell that she had heard from her parents what happened. He knew that she was too polite to say anything about it, though. "I brought you a cherry slushie. I know they are your favorite." _

_She held out his slushie, and he felt like smiling for the first time in hours. "Thanks, Rachel." he whispered, moving over on the bed to give her room to sit. She did, and the two of them sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, drinking their slushies. After he finished the last few sips of his slushie, he placed the empty cup on the floor next to his bed. "So I take it that you heard?"_

_She nodded, placing her empty cup on the floor. She turned her body to him, using her hand to prop herself up on the bed. "Is there anything I can do for you? Your mother?"_

_He shook his head, feeling unable to form words. "No.." He whispered, feeling the sharp sting of tears in his eyes. He hadn't shed a tear ever since his father walked out with his suitcase. He cleared his throat, willing the tears to go away. His father wasn't worth tears._

_Rachel nodded, wishing she didn't feel so helpless. "I wish there was something I could do for you." _

_Noah placed his hand over the one she had on the bed. "You are doing it right now." He reached for her other hand, feeling the warmth of her small hand in his. "Come here." He whispered, opening his arms to hold her. She moved into his arms willingly, buried her face in his neck. He laid them back, enjoying the peace that came with her presence. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, her head on his chest, her sweet smell surrounding him. "Thank you, Rachel."_

_Confused, she turned her face up to look at him. "For what?"_

_"For being here. For caring about me." he told her, looking down into her face._

_"Where else would I be? You're my best friend. You would be there for me if I needed you."_

_Noah smiled, ran a hand down her cheek. He turned her, laid her on her back. He rested his face on his hand, his smile still in place. "You are so sweet." he told her, leaning down to kiss her forehead. The bridge of her nose. A brush against her lips. He pulled back, looked into her eyes. "So sweet." He said again, dripping down to kiss her lips._

_Rachel pushed her lips back against his, unsure of what to do. She had never been kissed by anyone. He seemed to understand, he instead pressed teasing, nipping, kisses to her lips. She responded with an innocent enthusiasm that sent the blood rushing to his groin. His hand cupped her chin, his thumb pressing against the middle of it, opening her mouth. Once she responded to his prodding, he sealed his mouth over hers._

_'No wonder' she thought. _

_No wonder the girls at their school would do anything, leave their boyfriends, betray their friends, commit murder to be with him. And, if one listened to the gossip, threaten to end their life after he left them._

_His kisses were so deep, so sweet, it was amazing that she could still breathe at all. If she had been standing, she would have crumpled to heap on the ground. She felt the smooth slide of his tongue against hers and wondered if he wanted her to reciprocate. Her tongue touched his, entering a dance that she was very much a novice at._

_He groaned, ending their kiss. "You're killing me, Rachel." he whispered, his lips skimming down her cheek to her neck. "If you want me to stop, just tell me. I won't do anything you don't want me to do." He lifted his head, looked into her eyes. "Do you want me?"_

_Rachel smiled that Rachel Berry smile that never failed to give him butterflies in his stomach. "I want you, Noah." she whispered, raising her hand to touch his cheek. "Show me that you want me."_

_His smile was one of a rogue from one of those books that her aunt let her borrow. He gently took her hand from his face, kissing the inside of her palm. "I want you, Rachel. Never doubt it." His gaze never left her face as his hand came up to cup her breast through her blouse. _

_Rachel could feel the heat of his hand through the thin silk. She wanted to look down, to see his tanned hand against the pink silk, but was trapped by his heated gaze. He moved his hand in a circular motion, his thumb brushing her nipple through the silk. She groaned, her eyes fluttering. _

_Noah smiled, she really was sweet. His hand began to work on the buttons of her blouse, his fingers brushing against every new inch of skin he uncovered. He moved the two halves wide, revealing her to his gaze. Her breasts were encased in pink lace, the same shade as her blouse, lifting them up like ripe apples being offered to Adam. _

_She felt like a goddess. The way he was looking at her was exactly how she had always imagined someone would. Like she was rare and precious. The first touch of his hand on her bare skin was like an electric shock to her system. His hands were rough but gentle, caressing her breasts with a gentle reverence. _

_She had to have been the most perfect thing that he had ever seen. He had been with other women, but nothing that he had experienced compared to this. She was so willing, with none of the overly sexual undertones that older women and the cherrios had used. She seemed sincere in her passion. Amazed by every new experience. _

_He pulled her up to her knees in the middle of the bed, pulled her shirt away from her body, removed his. She didn't know where to look. His arms, his stomach, his chest. There was so much to look at, so much to explore. He looked like one of those greek statues that she had seen when her parents had taken her to Italy when she was 12. The urge to touch him seemed overwhelming, but she kept her hands at her sides, waiting for him to make the first move._

_Noah was at a loss. He had never seen anything more sexy then Rachel kneeling on his bed, her pearls at her throat, her breasts encased in the pink lace with her small skirt riding up her thighs. He pulled her close, his hands resting on the sides of her face. "You're beautiful, Rachel." he whispered, taking her lips in a searing kiss._

_She kissed him wantonly, running her hands through his hair, running her nails down his back. She wanted him to know, to feel, how she felt. Her hands traveled down to his jean clad ass, squeezing in female appreciation. She felt, more than heard, his muffled laugh, felt her skirt slide down her legs. _

_She laid back against the pillows, let him pull her skirt from her legs. She sat up and helped him unbuckle his pants, her hands clumsy in her inexperienced hurry. Once he was free of the offending garment, he pushed her back down to the pillows, stretching his body across her own._

_Rachel was on fire. The two small scraps of clothing that kept them apart in the most intimate way was unbelievably frustrating. She wrapped her legs around his hips, wanting to feel that part of him that was just for her. She rocked herself against him, not caring how she looked. "Noah, please."_

_He looked just as flushed as she felt. _

_His hand shook slightly as he unclasped her bra, finally baring her breasts to his heated gaze. He lifted her slightly, helping her pull it down her arms and away from her body. Her breasts were soft and round with small dusk colored tips that begged to be kissed. He lowered his head to her breasts, his hands coming up to palm them. He kissed and laved, but never went near the one part that was begging to be touched. She was nearly mad before he took pity on her, taking the tip into his mouth, nibbling before giving a soothing lick. _

_She was on fire. "Noah, please. No more teasing."_

_"What do you want, Rachel? Tell me what you need." Noah whispered, placing small kisses on her lips._

_"I want you inside me. I want you.." Rachel whispered, running and hand through his beautiful black hair before tugging him down to her lips. "Now." She demanded._

_He kissed her thoroughly, his hands reaching down to her hips to the edge of her lace panties. "It's now or never, Rachel. If you ant me to stop.." _

_"No.. don't stop."_

_He kissed her once more before pulling back and removing the last garment that kept her from his gaze. He glanced down at her body, trim and fit in the right places. She was a marvel. _

_"Touch me, Noah. Make me yours." Rachel whispered, parting her legs to invite him to play._

_He groaned when his touch found her already wet. "You're wet for me, Rachel. Do you feel that?" he asked her, his fingers combing through the neatly trimmed hair. "Do you want to feel me here?" his fingers played, parting her folds, rubbing in all the right spots. He inserted one long finger inside of her._

_"Noah.." she gasped, her head thrashing from side to side. The gentle slide was amazing. Heat coiled in her lower belly with every slide of his finger. He added another, kissing down her body, his tongue dipping into her naval. he used his body to spread her thighs wide, his shoulders pressed between them. "What.." He was eye level with her crotch before she realized what he was about. "I don't think.."_

_Noah tried not to laugh, but couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips. "Why don't you let me do this my way this time, hm? You might even like it." he whispered, pressing his mouth to her most sensitive part._

_Her head dropped back to the pillow on a groan. She couldn't believe the amazing things he was doing with that sinful mouth of his. Each time his fingers retreated from her body, he would lave his tongue on the most sensitive part of her. It was a never ending pleasure that she wasn't sure she wanted to end. She let out a disappointed groan as his mouth left her body._

_"Look at me, Rachel.." Noah commanded, waited until her head lifted from the pillow and he could see her flushed face. She could see his hand moving between her legs, could feel it. She didn't think there could be anything more erotic. He rested his head against her thigh, his breath hot against her skin. "What do you think would happen if I did this without stopping?" She shook her head, unable to form a coherent word. "Let's find out then, shall we?" His wicked mouth found that magical spot and her world exploded with his name on her lips._

_There was nothing more beautiful than Rachel Berry in a moment of passion. He was sure of it. The sound of his name on her lips, knowing he was responsible for her passion was enough to make him feel like a warrior. He stood up, removed her shoes and socks before removing his boxer-briefs. He walked over to his dresser to get protection, then joined her back on the bed._

_She came back to Earth to see him watching her. She smiled softly, running a hand through his hair. She loved his hair. "I love your hair." she whispered._

_"I love everything about you." he told her, kissing her nose. He held up the condom wrapper, a question in his eyes. "Are you sure?"_

_She didn't answer him. Instead, she ran her hand down his chest until she reached the part of him that burned for her. She circled her hand around him, moving up and down in her caress, paying attention to the sounds of pleasure he made. "I'm sure, Noah."_

_He pulled her hand away, protecting himself and her. He positioned himself between her thighs, fitting himself against her opening. He lowered himself down to her body, loving the feel of her naked skin against his own. "Kiss me." he whispered, bringing his lips to hers._

_It was finally going to happen. Rachel Berry was going to lose her virginity to Noah Puckerman. She felt a slight burn as he started to enter her, then a sharp pain. Then it was done. She was a virgin no longer. She pulled back from the kiss on a gasp, burying her face in his neck._

_Being inside her was pure torture. She was so tight, so hot, that he felt like a virgin again. He stared at the light blue sheets, trying not to let go before he was ready. He heard her sharp intake of breath, felt her hips move under his. His hand reached under her body, holding her to him. Noah got up on his elbow and looked into her eyes. "Don't move, Rachel. Just wait until you're ready."_

_Rachel nodded, felt the tear slip out of the corner of her eye and roll down her temple. She felt his thumb wipe the tear away, cup her face. "Noah.." she whispered, turning her face into his hand._

_"I'll take care of you, Rach." he whispered, bringing his lips down to hers._

_Rachel felt desperate. _

_Desperate for what, she didn't know. All she knew was that she didn't want to stop kissing him. She ran her hands over his bare back, reaching the curve of his spine before making her way back up to his hair. She heard him groan into her mouth, felt the smooth slide of his tongue against hers._

_She gave herself up to the kiss, wanting him to know how badly she wanted him. She pushed her hips up against his, once again marveling that she was actually having sex with Noah Puckerman. It was completely unreal, but at the same time, exactly where she wanted to be. _

_With exactly the right person._

_Noah pulled back from the kiss, searching her face. "Are you okay?" _

_Rachel nodded. "Noah, please.." she whispered, arching her body. _

_"I've got you.." he whispered, slowly withdrawing from her body before pressing back in. He heard her sharp intake of breath over his groan. "Tell me if I'm hurting you." he ground out, once again backing out of her body._

_"No.. Noah.." she whimpered, crying out when he seated himself within her more fully. "Yes.. please.." _

_He began a steady rhythm and Rachel loved the feel of his body so deep inside her. The pain had faded long ago, and now there was only pleasure. _

_Only Noah.._

_Noah was in heaven. Or maybe the closest thing he would ever get to it. Every moment of her soft body cradling him, holding him was amazing. The feel of her legs wrapped around his hips, her breasts against his chest, her mouth against his was unlike anything he had ever experience before. The soft sounds she made in the back of her throat were like a drug to him. He never wanted it to stop._

_Rachel could feel the pressure building, feel the pleasure taking her over. "Noah.. Oh God, Noah.." she moaned, trying in vain to reach that pinnacle that was just out of her reach._

_His hand reached between them, between the juncture of her thighs and touched that magical spot._

_She shattered like fragmented glass._

_With a groan, he followed._

Puck looked into her eyes, searching for some sort of recognition. "Don't you remember? Don't you remember how good it was between us?" he asked her, reaching for her lips with his own.

She kissed him with all the longing in her body before pushing him away, removing herself from his lap and his reach. She paced in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest as she tried to catch her breath. Did she remember? God, she would have to be stupid not to. She gathered her courage as best she could and turned to face him. She hoped her tone was as icy as she wanted it to be. "Of course I remember, Noah. But I also remember what happened after. I don't want to go through that again. We had sex on a Friday and that Monday was the first time you threw a slushie in my face."


	4. Peace Offering

**A/N: Again, I wanted to thank everyone for their kind reviews. It is very much appreciated. I 'm not too sure about this chapter, but I wanted to post something today and I got sick of trying to make it better.. :)**

**The song in this chapter is sung by Rachel and Noah **

_Italics: Rachel _**Bold: Puck **_**Italics and Bold : Puck and Rachel**_

**Chapter Four: Peace Offering**

_"We had sex on a Friday and that Monday was the first time you threw a slushie in my face." _

Puck felt his stomach drop, felt a flash of rage."That is **not** what happened!"

Rachel stood her ground, well aware that they were navigating through dangerous waters. "It was cherry, wasn't it?" He looked away, ashamed. She went on, seemingly unaware of his reaction. "It was Monday morning.. I was at my locker, waiting for you, when I heard you call my name. I turned around.. I wanted to talk to you.." She shook her head, unable to continue. She took a deep breath, looked him in the eye. "You changed... you gave yourself that ridiculous mohawk, and ceased to be my Noah. You became Puck.. someone who doesn't care about anyone but himself. I won't put myself through that again." she whispered, balling her fists at her sides.

Puck couldn't take it anymore. "You left me!" he exploded, shooting up from the bed.

"Excuse me?" Rachel sputtered, her balled fists resting on her hips.

"You left me!" he shouted. "I woke up and you were gone! I called you, I texted you, I emailed you.. I went over to your house and your Dads told me that you didn't want to see me! What did you expect me to think?" She opened her mouth to reply, but he stopped her, holding up an open hand. "Was it pity? Poor Noah's daddy left him, so let's go give him a pity fuck?"

The slap shocked them both.

Puck blinked at her, a hand coming up to rub his face.

Rachel looked even more shocked. The hand that did the damage balled up behind her back. She was practically vibrating with anger. "You high handed son of a bitch! I was confused! I just lost my virginity for God's sake! What did you expect?"

"If you needed time, why didn't you tell me? I would have done _anything_ you wanted me to do, Rachel. All I needed was one call, one text. I would have moved heaven and earth for you!"

She stared, completely dumbfounded. "Why?"

He clenched his jaw, stared at her defiantly. "Does it matter anymore?"

"I think so. Considering I have been the recipient of your slushie baths every other week, I think I deserve an answer. Why would you have waited for me?"

"It doesn't matter, Berry. It's over." he told her, looking away from her.

"I guess you're right, Puck." Rachel replied, her voice thick with emotion. She gathered her things and left the room without another word.

Puck sighed, sat down on the bed. He tried not to flinch when his front door slammed.

************

Sleep did not come easy for him that night.

Puck tossed and turned on his light blue sheets, trying to get his mind to stop thinking about Rachel Berry. He was not succeeding. His thoughts were a jumble of different times, different things.

_The look on Rachel's face when he gave her a keyboard for her 12th birthday_

_The look on Rachel's face the day she skinned her knee on his skateboard_

_The look on Rachel's face the night he had taken her virginity_

_The look on Rachel's face the first time he threw a slushie in her face_

Round and round his thoughts went until he came to one inevitable conclusion.

He was an ass.

************

The next morning on her elliptical, Rachel Berry thought about Noah Puckerman. She couldn't get it out of her head. _You left me.. _It was obvious that she had hurt him. The pain in his voice was unmistakable. Were some of his actions her fault as well as his own? The thought had never occurred to her before. She admitted to herself, if to no one else, that her actions after that night had not been the best, but she never seriously thought that she had hurt him with her absence. The timing was horrible, of course. There was no excuse for that. His father had just walked out on him and then she did the same.

She owed him an apology for that.

By the time she pulled her prius into the school parking lot, she had formulated an apology that was satisfactory. She scanned the parking lot on her way in, looking for his familiar red truck. When she couldn't find it, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had more time to practice her apology.

She was still rehearsing her apology when she opened her locker. She put her books away, looked in her hanging mirror to see Puck coming up behind her. Her mind froze when she saw the cup in his hand. She whipped around, ready to face her attacker. "If you are going to do this, please hurry. I need time to change my shirt before class."

Puck smirked, holding the cup out to her. The lid was on, a bright red straw sticking from it. She eyed it warily before taking it from him. "A peace offering." he looked like he wanted to say more, but he just smiled before walking away.

Rachel looked down at the lid and saw his familiar scrawl on the top.

_Sorry_

She smiled and took a sip.

It was cherry.

**************

Rachel walked into Glee earlier than usual, hoping to talk to Puck before class started. What she saw, however, was something she never expected to find. He was already there, talking with Mr. Schue. They were hovered over a piece of sheet music with Mr. Schue making annotations on the page, talking with Puck. She saw Puck nod occasionally, putting in his own remarks. "Hi Mr. Schue." Rachel greeted the teacher, her superstar smile in place.

"Hi Rachel. Puck and I were just going over something really quick, and I want you to take a look at it." Mr. Schue motioned her over. "I want you to look at this and tell me what you

think."

Rachel looked at Puck and gave him a small smile before returning her attention to Mr. Schue. "Sure. What song is it?"

"It's something Puck here has been working on. He thinks that the two of you should sing this at regionals during the duet finals. I happen to agree. I was hoping that you might feel the same way."

Rachel looked at Puck, amazed. "You wrote this?"

Puck nodded, clearly uncomfortable. "Yeah, last night." A meaningful look passed between them. "Listen, Rachel, if you don't want to sing with me, it's fine. I just thou.."

Rachel interrupted with a wave of her hand. "Let's look at it first. Then we can talk about regionals." Rachel read the music, absolutely amazed. It was beautiful, heartbreaking, haunting. She could feel the melody before ever hearing a sound of actual music. "This is amazing, Noah."

Mr. Schue smiled. "I thought so too."

Puck looked absolutely stunned. "So, does that mean that you'll sing it?"

"Absolutely. It's amazing. I didn't know that you were this talented." Rachel praised, bringing a hand to his sleeve. "It's great."

Puck smiled, the first genuine smile she had seen him give her in almost a year. "Good."

Mr. Schue laughed. "You guys are going to kill at regionals if you can get this down." he walked away from them, shaking his head. "These kids are amazing.."

Rachel laughed.

Puck grimaced. "I am not amazing."

"I think that is a matter of opinion, Noah."

"Are we okay now?" Puck asked her, his expression turning earnest. "I."

"We are making progress." Rachel said, once again picking up his sheet music. She scanned it again. "I just wanted to tell you that.." she cleared her throat, looked into his eyes. "that I'm sorry for what happened after.. well, you know." She worried her lower lip between her teeth and willed herself not to blush. "I didn't know..."

Puck gave a small pained laugh. "I guess we both have a lot to be sorry for, don't we?"

**********

Glee started with an impromptu session of Nelly's _Ride Wit Me_. Puck led on his guitar with Finn on the drums. It was fun to let loose and play with friends. There had been so much drama in Glee lately it was nice to just be free. Rachel looked over at Puck in the middle of it and saw him smiling, singing to Mercedes. He looked so young and carefree. There was none of the stress that had been in his face lately. He actually seemed happy. He caught her staring toward the end and winked in her direction.

This did not go unnoticed, but neither saw the identical looks of shock and jealousy on the faces of Finn Hudson and Quinn Fabray.

**********

After running through their group numbers for regionals, Mr. Schue took Puck and Rachel to the front of the group. "Puck here has written a duet for Rachel and him to sing at regionals. This is the first time that I will have heard it, but from the sheets it looks great."

Puck interrupted, almost stuttering with denial. "We can't do this now.. I mean, we haven't even practiced it." He didn't like the looks that the others were giving him. Finn looked murderous,

Quinn looked sick. The rest of them had a mixture of amusement and awe.

Mr. Schue smiled. "No worries. That's why I want you guys to sing it now, with all of us here to give our opinions."

Puck still looked uncertain, but Rachel smiled at him and all his wariness vanished. "Alright... I guess we'll just go from there.."

Her smile got bigger, if that was possible.

He sat down in a chair across from her, his guitar in hand. His sheet music sat in an empty chair next to him. He didn't really think that he needed it, but he also didn't want to sound like a blithering idiot in front of his friends. He looked down at he words that he had wrote and wondered if he was that transparent in his feelings.

It was too late now, anyway.

Rachel gave him a small encouraging smile and he returned before turning his attention to the group. "If any of you make fun of me after this, I will personally kick all your asses."

They laughed.

Mr. Schue looked amused.

He looked at Rachel, one brow rose in question. "You ready?"

She rose her own brow. "Whenever you are."

He blew out a breath and began counting down the beat. "4..3..2..1.."

He began to play and no one existed but Rachel.

**I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away  
I keep your photograph; I know it serves me well  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain**

He was singing from somewhere raw and emotional and it showed in his voice. Rachel's voice joined his and it was perfect harmony.

_**'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away**_

They couldn't look away from each other. They sang together, for each other, perfectly. Puck didn't know how she did it, but she was doing something to him. To his head.. to his heart.

**You've gone away, you don't feel me anymore**

She wondered if he had somehow read her heart, her mind. There was no other explanation about how her feelings went from her heart to Puck's paper.

_The worst is over now and we can breathe again  
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain __**away  
There's**__ so much left to learn, __**and no one left to fight**__  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain  
_  
_**'Cause I'm broken when I'm open  
And I don't feel like I am strong enough  
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away**_

She felt like crying, the emotion she was feeling was unreal, unlike anything she experienced before. No other piece of music had ever moved her so. She put her heart and soul into it, hoping to express to him just how much he had touched her.__

'Cause I'm broken when I'm open  
And I don't feel like I am strong enough  
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away

_**'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're **__gone _**(away)**

Rachel felt a salty tear slip down her face. She wasn't aware that she had started crying.

**You've gone away, you don't feel me anymore**

Puck leaned forward and brushed the tear from her cheek. His hand lingered for a moment longer than it should have.

The end of the song was met with silence.

The song in this chapter is called Broken by Seether Feat. Amy Lee


	5. Anywhere But Here

**A/N: This chapter is shorter than the last few that I have done, but I needed to get the plot moving.. LOL Thanks again for all the support.**

**Chapter Five: Anywhere but here**

_The end of the song was met with silence._

Puck and Rachel remained silent, still caught in their music hazed trance. Rachel could still feel the warmth of his football calloused hand on her cheek. Her heart still hammered, her head racing. Why did he look at her like that? She plastered a smile on her face, looking over to her friends, doing her best to ignore the looks that Puck sent her way.

Puck felt shaken, completely depleted. He ran a shaky hand through his mohawk. tried his best to will his nausea away. It had been too much. He didn't realize it until it was too late. Why did he have to write that stupid song? Why did he insist that he sing it with Rachel? Why was he so stupid?

Why wasn't anyone saying anything?

"That was great!" Mr. Schue exclaimed, clapping.

Everyone began talking at once, coming over to the pair with slaps on the back and high fives.

Everyone but Quinn Fabray and Finn Hudson.

Rachel was cornered immediately by Kurt and Mercedes wanting talk about costumes and choreography. "Black, darling. Black leather and black feathers." Kurt told her, looking at Mercedes for comment.

_Feathers?_ Puck thought, trying to imagine Rachel in nothing but black feathers. She'd look like a showgirl. Not that he would mind, of course. But then everyone would see. No.. bad idea. "No feathers, dude. We don't want Berry looking like a tramp."

Kurt eyed Rachel critically. "It could work. Tasteful feathers.."

Mercedes eyes lit up. "Lace?"

Puck rolled his eyes, leaning over to talk to Artie, who had wheeled himself over earlier. "Hey Artie, do you think you could help me write some guitar rifts? I think it needs some punch in a few places and I could really use your help."

Artie's eyes widened. The question had startled him. "Uh, sure, if that's what you want."

"Yeah man, you can shred that guitar." Puck told him, holding his hand out for a high five.

Artie hesitated briefly, before giving Puck a high five. "Whenever you want to do it, just let me know." he told him before wheeling away toward Kurt, Rachel and Mercedes.

Puck stood up, feeling better than he had in weeks. He was finally making progress with Rachel, which was a lot harder than he ever thought it was going to be. He was enjoying being good at something other than football. Music was a great way to get through your fucked up feelings.

He also felt ashamed.

Ashamed that he had spent so much time hating Rachel for something that now sounded so simple. Ashamed that he had done so much damage to their relationship. He was also ashamed that he was relieved, happy even, that he wasn't the father of Quinn's baby. He knew that he would have taken care of the baby and Quinn, but knew that he wasn't ready to be a father.

Then there was Finn.

Finn was his best friend. The closest thing he had to a brother. It was bad enough that he had slept with his girlfriend on one drunken night, but to father the baby? He shuddered at the thought. It still didn't make it okay that he slept with Quinn, he knew that, but it made him feel less guilty about it.

After putting his guitar in his case, he went over to the piano to gather his things. He had to put that incident with Quinn out of his mind. It didn't matter anymore. Finn wasn't going to find out, because Quinn needed him, and he wasn't about to tell him because he didn't want to lose his friendship with him. He needed to concentrate on Rachel. She was way more important now.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, turned around to see Finn. "Hey dude.." Puck began, only to have his words shoved back into his mouth by Finn's angry fist. He saw stars, felt himself fall into the piano. Heard startled exclamations of everyone else in the room.

Puck felt his mouth fill with blood, and for a split second thought that Quinn had told him about that drunken night at the party. "What the hell, dude?" Puck asked, lifting a thumb to his lip, tasting blood.

"What the hell are you doing?" Finn spat, his normal happy demeanor demolished. He grabbed Puck's collar, ready to strike again.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Puck asked him, pushing himself free of Finn's grip.

"Leave Rachel alone." Finn growled, his hands balled at his sides.

"Rachel? Are you serious?" Puck asked, completely exasperated. "I can do what I want with Rachel. She's not anything to you."

"What the hell is she to you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Wrong thing to say, dude.

Finn lunged at him, wrapping a hand around the front of his shirt. "**Leave her alone**."

"Make me, Finn. You her boyfriend all the sudden?" He saw the second punch coming, but couldn't get out of the way in time. His head snapped back and he let out a cry of fury. "That's it!" he snarled, bringing his fists up.

He only got one punch in before Mr. Schue stepped in, pulling Finn in a bear hug from the back, effectively trapping his arms at his sides. "That's enough!"

Rachel suddenly appeared at Puck's side, her small hands cradling his face, taking in the damage that had been done. "Are you okay?" she whispered, her sweet smelling breath hitting his chin.

He nodded, enjoying the protectiveness in her gaze. "I'm alright." he whispered back. She produced a tissue, from where, Puck had no idea. There were only so many places she could have stored it in her small skirt and button up shirt. He tried not to dwell on where it had been.

She pressed it to the cut on his lip, wincing when he hissed in pain. "I'm sorry."

"Rachel, what the hell are you doing?" Finn demanded, still in Mr. Schue's grip. "It's Puck! Have you lost your mind?"

He watched her eyes flash and knew in that instant that Finn Hudson was a dead man.

"Excuse me?" She asked, turning to face Finn. "Who the hell do you think you are?" she asked him, crossing her arms underneath her breasts. "Are you by boyfriend?"

"No.. but Rachel.."

"There is no **but**, Finn Hudson! In case you haven't noticed, I am perfectly capable of judging people for myself. I'm a big girl, and I don't need your interference." Rachel felt Puck's hand on her shoulder and was grateful for his support. "Just in case you forgot, your girlfriend is pregnant. So who the hell are you to think you can tell me what to do? And I know Noah. I know him better than you do."

"Noah? Are you serious? Noah?" Finn scoffed, trying to break free from Mr. Schue's grasp.

"Leave us alone, Finn. I don't want, nor do I appreciate, your brutish display. If you think that I am going to explain myself to you, or anyone else, you are going to be disappointed. Deal with it."

Puck ran his hand down from her shoulder to her arm. "You ready?" he whispered in her ear, squeezing her wrist.

"Yes. Let me get my things." She told him, leaving him to cross the room to get her stuff.

Puck turned his attention to Finn. "Don't ever think that you are going to sucker punch me again, Hudson. You have no say in who either one of us are with. Deal with your own problems."

Rachel stopped by the door. "Noah?" she called, holding her hand out for him. He nodded, pulling his letterman jacket on, grabbing his stuff.

They all watched as they left the room together, her arm around his waist, his around her shoulders.

"Glee i-is n-never boring." Tina stuttered.

Kurt laughed.

***********************

Football practice was unusual at best. Everyone could see the tension between Puck and Finn, but no one, save for the Gleeks on the team, knew what the cause of it was. No one had the balls to ask either of them.

After showering and dressing, Puck walked out of the locker room and, to his surprise, saw Rachel by his truck in the parking lot. "Hey!" he smiled, walking up to her. "What are you doing here?" It was well after six and suddenly freezing.

Rachel smiled, rubbing her hands over her bare arms. "I had my dad drop me off. I wanted to talk to you."

Puck shrugged out of his letterman, wrapped it around her shoulders. "How long have you been out here?" he asked her, noting her flushed cheeks and red nose.

"Not long. I didn't realize it was going to be so cold."

"It is October, Rachel." he teased, pulling up the long sleeves of his jacket so he could find her hands. "You look like a doll." They laughed together until they heard the loud gym doors slam behind them. Finn Hudson walked out, followed by the majority of the football team. He turned to Rachel and saw the concern in her eyes. "You wanna get out of here?"

"Where do you want to go?"

Puck threw his bags into the bed of the truck. "Anywhere but here." he told her, moving around her to open the passenger door of his truck.

"Bowling?" she asked, accepting his help to get her into the truck.

He handed her the buckle and mulled over her suggestion. "Why not? You need a good ass kicking." They were both laughing when he shut her door and jogged to the other side of the truck.

Neither noticed Finn's murderous look as they drove away.


	6. Baking Cookies

**A/N: Again, thanks to everyone for the kind reviews and the story alerts.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Six: Baking Cookies**

Bowling with Rachel was actually fun. She was loud and annoying when she threw a gutter ball, but she was loud and annoying most of the time he had known her, so it wasn't really a big deal. They had laughed, joked, drank stale Pepsi and had burnt hot dogs. It was probably the best time he could remember in a while. He didn't remember her being this good at it, though. "When did you learn how to bowl?" He asked, sipping on his Pepsi.

She blushed and had the good grace to look a tad ashamed. "Finn took me bowling before I came back to Glee."

"Ah." was all he said.

_It's now or never, Berry. _She sat next to him, bumping her shoulder companionably against his. "Noah?"

He couldn't suppress his smile. "Rach?" He bumped her this time.

"I think it's time that we talked."

His smile turned into a scowl."Right now? Come on, Rachel, we're having a good time."

"I know that, but if we don't talk now, we never will."

"Alright." He stretched out his legs, threw an arm over the back of her chair. "Shoot."

"Okay.." She was suddenly nervous. Why was she nervous? "Okay.. I first wanted to apologize for Finn today."

"You don't need to apologize for him, Rachel. I know him pretty well. He's jealous. He thinks that I am using you as my plaything. He's just looking out for you."

"So you're not mad at him?"

"No." He smirked, tugging at the ends of her hair. "Thank you for jumping to my defense, though. It was uber sweet."

She laughed. "Uber sweet?"

"Totally uber."

Her expression sobered. "I also wanted to say that I am happy that we are making progress. We aren't nearly done being back to the way that we were, but I am confident that we can make it back."

"What if I don't want to go back to the way we were?" Puck asked her, his voice expressionless.

Her eyes rounded. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want to go back to being your friend, Rachel."

"Then...what? I don't understand. If you don't want to be friends, why are we here?"

He grinned then, amused. "I want to be more than your friend, Berry."

She was speechless. Rachel Berry was actually speechless. "Like a boyfriend?" she squeaked, her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline.

Duh. "Yeah, Rachel. What did you think I wanted? To bake cookies?"

"We are so **not** baking cookies together, Noah Puckerman!" She exclaimed, standing up. "If that is all you want, then you need to find someone else to..bake with!"

He caught her arm before she could storm away. "Jesus, Rachel, take a breath!" He pulled her into his arms, slightly amused when she stiffened. "I wasn't talking about baking _those_ kind of cookies. Although, if you really feel like testing your culinary skills, I won't complain." Whens he smiled, he felt the ground shift beneath him. "Listen.. I won't push you. I know that it will take time for you to trust me again." He let his hands wonder, tracing her back with his fingertips. "I'm not a saint. I'll probably get frustrated, but I'm a sixteen year old guy. I'm not known for my patience."

"Noah... It's not that I don't want to bake cookies with you. I do. I just don't know how we can.. bake again without trust. It will take time for me to trust you and for you to trust me." It was an awkward conversation to have, especially in a crowded bowling Alley. "Maybe in six months or so.."

Puck blinked like an owl. "_Six months?_ Are you serious?"

She nodded. "Yes! Six months of celibacy is a good jumping board to see if we really want to be together.. if we really trust each other, before we head back into the kitchen.."

"_Six months? _It's not _natural_, Rachel. I'm a teenager.. I can't go _six months_ out baking."

"Why not? It's not like I am saying that you can't use self gratification while you are out of the kitchen."

Puck groaned. "Listen, Rosie Palm and her five sisters isn't going to be enough for _six months_!" He was appalled. Absolutely appalled. "One."

"Three.. final offer."

"What makes you think you are worth three months of celibacy?"

"I might not be." She told him, seriously. "You're the only one that can answer that question."

He glared at her. "Fine." He took her hand in his. It felt so freaking small. He saw the Star of David ring on her hand, a gift that he had given her for her bat mitzvah three years ago. "Give me your ring." He told her, trying to pull it off her finger.

She snatched her hand back, confused. "Why?"

He prayed for patience. "Just give me the ring."

Rachel was torn. She felt ridiculously attached to the stupid thing. It was the only thing that he had given her that she hadn't had the heart to throw away or destroy. She took it off her hand, pressed it into her palm one last time before handing it over to him.

He didn't want to put it in his pocket, so he put it on the tip of his smallest finger. God, she was tiny. "I'll do it." He framed her face in his hands, the gold ring twinkling in the lights of the disco ball. "I'll wait three months for you." He gave a self depreciating laugh. "After three months, I'm going to do things to you that are outlawed in 49 out of 50 states."

**********************

The ride home was eventful to say the least. After the weird discussion at the bowling alley, they both needed to blow off steam. So they turned up the radio and sang horribly off key to every song they heard.

Puck had a very nice falsetto.

They were both giggling like little girls when he pulled into his driveway. He was about to turn off the truck, when a song on the radio caught her attention. She squealed. She actually squealed. "Jesus, Rachel. I need my hearing, you know."

"Ooh, I love this song!"

She turned it up louder, and Puck was afraid that his speakers would burst.

Then she started singing.

_Now I've had the time of my life.._

Puck groaned. "You have got to be kidding me."

"If you don't start singing, Noah, you are** never **baking cookies with me."

He stared at her, unbelieving.

Then he sang like a bird.

*********************

She was still laughing at him when he unlocked his front door. "I can't believe you don't like that movie!"

He ushered her inside, trying not to smile at her outrage. "It's just a movie, Rachel."

Once again, she was speechless. She was so damn cute, he couldn't resist. He kissed her. Kissed her senseless. His mouth was rough, demanding, and hot. She found herself clinging to his neck, her head back in surrender as he plundered her mouth. There was no defense to the devastation.

They were both breathing hard when he pulled away. "Noah, you promised.."

"No, Berry. I promised that we wouldn't bake cookies. You didn't say anything about kissing you." Her eyes widened when he pressed her back against the door, his face inches from hers. "And I plan on kissing you. As often as I like. This torture you are putting me through isn't going to be one sided. The higher the fire in me, the worse it will be for you." He pushed away from the door, turned to walk into the kitchen and left her staring after him. He stopped halfway through, sending her a panicked glance. "Mom! What are you doing here?"

Maria Puckerman looked at her only son proudly. "They gave me the rest of the day off. I thought that I would come home and make you dinner for a change. Where have you been? I thought I heard you talking to someone."

Rachel watched, horrified, as Maria Puckerman's face turned to hers. "Hi Mrs. Puckerman."

Maria's smile widened as she looked between Rachel and Puck. "Hello Rachel. What are you doing here so late?"

"Noah and I are going to do homework together. I am tutoring him."

"Yeah, Mom. We were just going to go upstairs and work on school stuff." Puck gave Rachel the covert look of 'what the hell are you waiting for? Get upstairs!'. "We will probably be up there for a while."

Maria Puckerman gave her son the look he knew so well. They were defiantly having a talk after Rachel left. "Oh, Rachel?" Rachel turned around half-way up the steps. "I hope that you are hungry. I am baking cookies!"

Rachel nearly choked on her tongue.

Puck hung his head and groaned. He kissed his mother's cheek and followed Rachel up the stairs.

Maria watched, confused, as the two teenagers made their way upstairs. "What did I say?"


	7. Confessions and Warnings

**Chapter Seven: Confessions and Warnings**

They had been upstairs for less than an hour, and his homework was done. He thanked God for Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Schue. That same homework would have taken him all night. If he actually had **done** it, that is. Not that he was really thinking about homework at the moment. He was lying down on his bed with Rachel Berry straddling his hips, her sweet lips pressed against his. His hands traced her back idly, completely content with his current situation.

Well, not completely content. Not only was he not allowed to bake cookies for three months, but he had something more serious to think about. He really needed to tell Rachel about Quinn. He didn't want her to hear about it from someone else and, God forbid, think he was the father of her baby. She would probably hate him. He hated himself, but he needed her to know. He didn't want any secrets between them. With a pained groan, he pulled her mouth from his. "Rachel.."

"Noah.." she whispered, tried again to capture his mouth with hers. When he eluded her, she sat up on his lap, troubled. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

"No!" he reassured her quickly, sitting up to cradle her face in his hands. "You are perfect. Too perfect for me, at least."

She watched the shadow pass over his face and felt a chill run up her spine. "What's wrong, Noah?"

He sighed, pulled her off his lap. He looked into her beautiful face and panicked. What if this was the last time he would have her like this. He cradled the side of her face in his hand. "I need to tell you something, Rachel. Something that happened before I joined Glee." He dropped his hand from her face. "I don't want to hide anything from you."

"Tell me."

He took a deep breath, looked down at his hands. "I had sex with Quinn Fabray."

He heard her exhale. "When?"

His gaze never left his hands. He didn't want to look up and see the disgust that he was sure was on her face. "Right after Finn joined Glee. We were at a party. She was mad that he was spending so much time with you.. said she felt fat. I was pissed that Finn had joined Glee. I had seen you guys rehearsing in the auditorium.. I didn't like the way that you smiled at him.. the way that he was able to put his arms around you when I wasn't.."

"So you are blaming me for what happened?" Rachel asked, a little more than confused.

He looked up at her, then. "No! I'm not trying to make excuses, Rachel. I just want you to know what happened."

"Are you the father of her baby?"

"No."

"How do you know?" She pulled her legs over the bed, sitting with her back to him.

"She told me that I wasn't. She said the timing of us.. you know... she said it wasn't possible." Puck finished lamely. He really hated himself at that moment. He looked at her rigid back, wished that he could change things. He scooted over on the bed to sit next to her. "If I could change things, Rachel, I swear..."

"Do you want to be with her?"

"No!" He reached for her hand, laced their fingers together. He moved his head to hers, tried to catch her eyes. "I want to be with you. Even if I was the father of her baby, I would still want to be with you."

She brought her tear filled gaze to his. "Why?"

He watched a bright tear slip down her cheek and for the first time in his life, wished he was a better man. "Please don't cry, Rachel. I can't stand it when you cry." He pulled her across his lap, her head in the crook of his neck. He searched for the words, terrified of her tears. "I don't want to be with anyone but you. You have to believe me." He felt the wetness of her tears against his neck and panic bubbled up in his throat. "Please believe me. Please believe me." he chanted, burying his face in her hair.

She nodded against his neck. "Yes.."

He pulled back from her hair to look down at her face. "What?"

She looked into his eyes and saw a man that she could definitely falling in love with. "Yes.. I believe you."

He made a rough sound in his throat and kissed her like a dying man.

He didn't stop for a while.

*********************

The next morning, Puck knocked on Rachel's door at 7:15. Her father, William, answered the door. He was a short man, his head coming up to about Puck's chin. He wore glasses, his brown hair balding on the top. "Noah! What a pleasant surprise!"

Puck smiled, having always liked Rachel's parents. "Hi Mr. Berry. Is Rachel still here?"

"Yes. She is up in her room." He opened the door wider as he entered. "Do you remember the way?"

Puck had the good grace to blush. "I'm pretty sure I remember, sir."

Her father nodded, turned toward the kitchen. Puck was halfway to the stairs when he heard Mr. Berry's voice again. "Noah?" Puck turned back to him. "It's good to have you back, son."

Puck smiled. "It's good to be back, sir."

********************

Rachel had been trying to figure out what to wear for the last 15 minutes. Nothing seemed like the proper choice. It was impossible. Every piece of clothing she owned was bought to compliment a certain outfit. The fact that she had no clothes was a testament to how nervous she was about today. Today was the day that the whole school would know that she, Rachel Berry, was Noah Puckerman's girlfriend.

Girlfriend...

She felt giddy just think about it. Noah Puckerman was her boyfriend.

Because of said boyfriend, she was extremely apprehensive about her wardrobe. She didn't want to embarrass him if she looked like a pink highlighter or worse, a yellow sun ball. She huffed again, walking over to her closet in nothing but her white lace bra and matching bikini panties. Her long hair was down today because Noah liked running his hands through it. She liked it when he did that.

She heard a knock on door, assumed it was her father. "Come in.." she called, still rummaging through her closet.

Puck walked in and was amazed by the changes in her room from the last time he had been in there. Instead of the pepto pink walls he expected, they were a soft egg shell. The pink fluffy twin bed he remembered, a spacious queen draped in white satin. He tried not to stare at it, but really? It was a forbidden, cookie baking, bed. _Stop thinking about it! _

"I need help.." He heard from the closet. "A white blouse with a black skirt? Or the purple dress I wore to Uncle Jack's wedding?" He saw her come out of the closet. She was the image of sin wrapped in innocence. She had filled out more since the last time he had seen her like that. Filled out in all the right places. "Oh my God!" Rachel squeaked, hiding behind her door.

He almost gave himself whiplash when he spun around. "Jesus, Rachel! Do you just let _anybody _into your room when you're naked?" He stared at the wall and willed his erection to go away. God, it was like Christmas morning and seeing the thing you wanted most under the tree.

"I.. I thought you were my father!"

"Obviously not." He muttered, making his back to her door. He opened it, then stopped. "Hey, Rachel... wear the skirt. I'll keep you warm."

*******************

Much to Puck's satisfaction, she came down 5 minutes later in a white button up blouse tucked into a black skirt that stopped just above her knees. He met her at the bottom of the stairs and extended a and to her. He made a project of looking her up and down until she blushed. He raised their hands and turned her in a slow circle. He let out a low whistle. "Looking good, Berry." She blushed prettily and he kissed her lips. "You wanna ride to school?"

Ten minutes later, Rachel was cocooned in Puck's letterman jacket in his old red Chevy in the school parking lot. To say she was nervous was a massive understatement. She knew that the rumor mill would probably be buzzing with yesterday's confrontation in Glee between Finn and Puck. She also knew that many kids they went to school with had seen them at the bowling alley that night. She knew that many people would be shocked that gleek Rachel Berry had managed to land popular Noah Puckerman.

"You nervous?" Puck asked her, cutting the engine off.

"A little." She conceded, unbuckling herself. "Are you?"

"Not really." He got out of the truck, running to the other side to open her door. He looked down at her worried face and his heart melted a little. "Rachel.." he sighed, leaning down to kiss her nose. "Why are you worried? You like me... I like you...We're a couple of good looking Jews."

That made her laugh.

She was still wearing his jacket when they walked into the building, their hands linked together. Rachel was very aware of the stares that were placed upon them, the whispers. She found it amusing that some people actually stopped dead in their tracks to stare. Puck squeezed her hand and she smiled at him. By the time they made it to her locker, she decided to ignore the whispers, the stares. She opened her locker just as some of Puck's football friends came up.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Puck greeted them, slapping hands with them in what Rachel assumed was a football thing.

The three jocks eyed Rachel critically, noting the jacket draped over her small body. "Nothing much, man. What's new with you?" The blond boy in the middle answered, a brow rising.

Puck introduced the three. "Rachel, this is Mike, Chris, and Kevin. They are on the football team with me. Guys, this is Rachel, my _girlfriend_." He put a lot of emphasis on the word girlfriend and the boys seemed to get the message: _'Leave her alone, or I will kill you..'_

The boy on Rachel's left, Kevin, smiled. "Nice to meet you." The other two mumbled the same greeting. "Anyway," Kevin began, sending Rachel an apologetic look. "Coach wants to see us before class starts in the locker room."

Puck groaned. "I forgot. Alright.. I'll be there in a few minutes." He watched them walk away before turning his attention back to Rachel. He pulled her close, a hand running down the back of her head. "I guess I have to go."

"It's alright." She told him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Do you want your jacket back?"

"Nah.." he told her, giving her a small kiss on her lips. "You look better in it than I do." He kissed her again, each kiss longer and deeper than the last. She knew that she shouldn't be doing this in a public hallway, but she didn't care. She wanted people to know that she was his girl. By the time he ended the kiss, they were both breathing heavy. "Besides, I like the fact that everyone will know that you're mine."

********************

Rachel as on cloud nine as she walked down the hall toward her class. She was, that is, until she saw Quinn Fabray. Determined, she walked over to the head Cherrio. "Quinn. I need to talk to you."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "I don't think so, Man Hands." She tried to walk past her, but Rachel grabbed her arm. "What the hell, Berry?"

Rachel's grip tightened as she led her over to the wall. "I said that I needed to talk to you, Quinn."

Quinn pulled her arm from her grasp. "Who the hell do you think you are, Freak? I _don't_ want to talk to _you_."

"Well that's just too bad, isn't it? I have a few things to say." Quinn rolled her eyes again. "First, stay away from my boyfriend, Quinn."

"Boyfriend?"

"Noah Puckerman." Rachel told her, enjoying it when her eyes widened. "Stay away from him. He told me _everything_.." Rachel gave a covert glance to Quinn's stomach. "And I mean everything. He's not a dead beat or a loser. He's a good guy who deserves more than you have been giving him lately. Number two, stop going to Ms. Sylvester about Glee. I know it's you, so don't try to deny it. I'm asking you nicely this time, Quinn. Don't make me ask again." Rachel flounced away, giving Quinn a good look at the back of the letterman jacket she was wearing.

On the back of the jacket there was one word in big letters.

_**PUCKERMAN**_

She was Noah's girl now and no one was going to get in her way.


	8. Deserve

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone again for the wonderful reviews and aleerts! You guys are awesome!**

**Also, for those of you that are reading my other story, Dirty Little Secret, I will try to work on it tomorrow..**

**Here we go...**

**Chapter Eight: Deserve**

Puck sat in the back of the room and wanted to punch someone. If one more person gave him one of **those** looks he was going to scream. He had no doubt that Chris, Kevin and Mike had wagged their tongues like girls in a beauty shop the moment they had gotten into the room. That was fine with him. What wasn't fine was the way that people kept looking at him. It was really starting to piss him off. By the time the coach left, he had had enough. "Does anyone have something to say to me? Cause I'm getting sick of the way you guys are looking at me."

"Is it true?" One of the players, Mathias Marshall, asked.

"Is what true?" Puck asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He wanted them to work for it.

From next to him, Kurt couldn't contain his thoughts. "I believe they wish to know if you and Rachel are an item."

Puck stared at Finn from where he sat in the front row. Finn's back was to him and he seemed to suddenly take a great interest on the the play drawn out on the board. "Yes. Rachel Berry is my girlfriend." The proclamation was followed by silence. A few curious stares. Puck stood up uncaring of anyone's opinion. "Anything else?" He grabbed his bag from under his metal chair and made his way to the door.

He had a hand on the door when he heard a voice behind him. No one needed to tell him that it was Finn."You don't deserve her."

He turned slowly and looked at Finn across the room. Finn had stood up, his hands balled at his sides. "Hudson, haven't we already had this discussion? Rachel wasn't too thrilled with you, if you recall."

The air between them crackled with intensity. No one in the room could say anything, let alone move. It was like watching a tennis match. With every word Puck would say, every head would turn in his direction. The same with Finn. Kurt was the only one that didn't seem mildly interested in the conversation. He examined his nails, fished for an emery board from his backpack. "She was a little put out."

Finn gave Kurt an incredulous look. "Dude.."

Kurt threw his hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying.."

"You know, I'm getting pretty fucking sick of people telling me what I deserve." Puck told them, his eyes resting on Finn. "What do you know about her? What makes _me_ unworthy of _her_?"

Finn's eyes flashed. "I know her better than you do."

Puck felt his jaw clench, but he managed a small, unbelieving smile. "Really? What's her favorite color?"

Finn smiled. Too easy. "Pink."

Kurt snorted. "Wrong.."

Puck tried not to laugh. "Purple. She doesn't wear it a lot because she thinks it washes her out. What's her favorite song?" When he said nothing, Puck really started enjoying himself. "**Keep on Loving You **by REO Speedwagon. What are her father's names?" Again, he was met with silence. "William is the short one with glasses. Mitchell is the one that likes sweater vests. They've been together for 21 years on Saturday. What does she like to eat for breakfast?" Silence. "Vanilla yogurt and toast with no butter. I think that she needs to eat more, but she never listens. She goes to our synagogue three times a week to pray and work at the food bank that we sponsor. She calls her biological mother, Christine, every Sunday night so they can talk about Desperate Housewives. New Year's Day is her favorite day of the year because she says that it's a new beginning for the past year's mistakes. She likes oatmeal cookies with no raisins. Her middle name is Caroline. She hates cats, thinks they're stuck up. She had a dog, Buddy, but he died last year. She's allergic to oranges.. they make her tongue swell." He took a breath, looked the the shocked faces in the locker room. "Yeah, I have been an asshole to her, but there is a lot of back story that you don't know between us. She's really forgiving, but you would know that, wouldn't you, Finn? You're telling me I don't _deserve_ her? Dude, you don't even _know_ her." He walked out the door, leaving a very shocked Finn behind him.

Kurt couldn't help himself. "Snap!"

**********************************

It seemed like forever for lunch to come. Rachel had people that she didn't even know coming up to her like they were best friends. It was extremely unnerving. She walked down the halls with people coming up to her, not to throw something at her, but to tell her that they liked her hair, or they thought her skirt was cute. Unnerving wasn't the word. It was like the Twilight Zone. When lunch finally did come around, Rachel was thoroughly confused. Why were people being _nice_ to her all the sudden?

She was still contemplating her new found "fame" when she got to her locker. Quinn was waiting for her. "What can I do for you, Quinn?"

"You can start by dying a slow, painful death, but I don't think you would go for that." Quinn told her with a bright smile.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "How original, Quinn. I meant what I said."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "I don't need to chase your boyfriend, Berry. He was chasing me long before you came along."

Rachel smiled. "Not anymore."

"If this baby had been his, he would be with me right now." Quinn whispered maliciously, trying her best to dig at Rachel.

"Again, you're wrong. He would be there for the **baby**. To help you with the **baby**. He wouldn't be with you the way you think." Rachel pulled her locker open, shoved her books inside and closed it again. "I mean what I said, Quinn. If you don't stop going to Ms. Sylvester I'm going to tell Mr. Schue and he will kick you off Glee. Don't think I won't do it." Rachel looked down at Cherrio uniform. "You won't be able to cheer forever once Sylvester finds out about your baby. Glee might be the only thing you're gonna have. Don't throw it away."

Quinn fumed inside. She hated it when that bitch was right. "Don't tell me what I have to lose, Berry. You don't think that I can make your life hell? Think again.. And Puck? He's going to be with you until he gets what he wants and then he's going to leave you. I thank God everyday that a Lima loser like Puck isn't the father of my baby. You know that old saying, right? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

For the second time in less than a week, Rachel slapped someone. She felt the satisfying slap of skin against skin. Heard the resounding crack. She was only momentarily concerned when she saw the red hand print against Quinn's snow white cheek. "Noah is lucky that this baby isn't his. I would hate for him to have to deal with a bitch like you for the rest of his life." She whispered harshly. She raised her chin and spoke in her normal voice. "Don't **ever** come near me or mine again." She stormed off and left a stunned Quinn in her wake.

*******************************************

It took him a while to find her. When he did, she was in the choir room, sitting on the bench of the grand piano, her head in her hands. He could see from the door that she was shaking and his heart went out to her. He was still in utter disbelief.

_Puck was walking to his locker, looking down the hallways for Rachel. He hadn't seen her since they had parted at her locker that morning, and truth be told, he need a Rachel fix. He had a smile on his face, something that had been there a majority of the morning. People looked at him with a mixture of amusement and wonder and all he could do was shrug and walk on. He stopped at his locker and was pounced on by Kurt and Mercedes. "Hey guys. Have you seen Rachel?"_

_Kurt leaned against the locker next to Puck's and smiled. "Yeah, we saw her all right."_

_Mercedes was more blunt. "She slapped Quinn."_

_Puck slammed his locker shut, his wide eyes on Mercedes. "What?"_

_She smiled. "I know, right? I mean, who knew that sweet little Rachel had it in her?"_

_"She slapped Quinn?" Puck asked, his brow furrowed with confusion. "Why?"_

_Kurt shrugged. "No one knows. They were whispering and then Rachel went all 'top model' on Quinn. Stormed away from her locker and left Quinn holding her cheek. I think it was the first time someone could put 'Rachel' and 'bitch fight' in the same sentence." He shrugged again, looked down at his nails. "Personally, I think it is long overdue, but that's just my opinion."_

_Panic began to bubble in his throat. "Where did she go?"_

_"Quinn?" Mercedes asked, one sassy hand at her hip._

_"Why would I give a shit about Quinn? Where is my girlfriend?"_

_Mercedes gave him an approving look. "We don't know. We haven't been able to find her."_

That search had finally led him to the choir room. She looked so small in his jacket, so lost. Her long hair streamed down her arms, hid her covered face from his view. "Rachel?"

She looked up, startled. She hadn't heard him come in. She hadn't cried since it happened, but seeing him there with a look of worry on his face brought them to the surface. She suddenly found it hard to speak. "Noah.." She croaked out, rising from the bench and hurdling herself into his arms.

He closed his arms around her, buried his face in her hair. "It's okay.. whatever happened, it's okay." He felt her shake her head and for the first time wondered what happened between them. "What were you fighting about?"

She pulled back from him, let him wipe the tears from her face. She felt a blush creep up her face and felt ashamed. "We were fighting about you. You and the baby."

He inhaled sharply. "Tell me."

She let him lead her to the choir risers and sat down next to him. "I feel horrible now. But she made me so mad! She said such horrible things about you! I didn't mean to hit her, I swear.." She felt panic bubble up inside of her. "Oh God, Noah.. I hit a pregnant woman! I'm going to hell! Who hits pregnant women? People who do drugs or rape people hit pregnant women..."

"Stop.. stop..." Puck cut her off, running a hand down her hair. He didn't have to imagine the kind of things that Quinn had said. He was amused though, in spite of himself. "You're not going to hell, Rachel. You got mad and you slapped her, but you're a good person. Goody two shoe people like you don't go to hell. People like me, who sleep with their best friend's girlfriends and throw slushies in the face of the girl that you really want to be with, go to hell. Never you, Rachel." He kissed her forehead then rested his against it. "I've never had anyone stand up for me like that, Rach. Thank you."

She smiled in spite of herself. She reached up and kissed him softly. "Can you hold me?" He didn't say anything, just opened his arms to her.

He held her for the rest of the lunch break.

*********************************************

When they left the choir room, Rachel felt better. Yes, she had been wrong to strike Quinn, and she would apologize the next time she saw her, but Noah holding her hand, standing up next to her against everyone that had been against her, brought a burst of joy to her heart. Looking up at him while they were walking, she realized how absolutely sexy he was in his white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearms and the first two buttons undone at the top. A tight blue undershirt was visible and the color contrasted beautifully with his skin. He looked down at her, squeezed her hand, and smiled crookedly at her. She felt her heart flutter in her chest and thought for the first time that everything was going to be okay between them.

Puck was amazed by the small girl holding his hand. She was sweet, beautiful, and apparently had one hell of a temper. She had stood up for him, something that no one had ever done before. He didn't know how he got so lucky, but he wasn't about to question it. Whatever the reasons, she was his and he planned to keep her that way for a long, good time. He looked down at her, squeezed her hand, smiled at her. _Yeah, life was defiantly good._

He looked up in time to see his teammate, Michael Byers, walking up with a 7-11 cup in his hands. Michael was staring at Rachel with a slight smile. He didn't think, just reacted. He closed his eyes, pushed Rachel behind him, felt the cold blast of the slushie against his face. He heard Rachel gasp behind him, opened his eyes.

Saw nothing but Rage.

He grabbed Michael by his collar, pushed him against the lockers across the hallway. Michael pushed at Puck, tried to get away, but Puck held him against the locker with the force of his fist in his shirt, one muscular arm pressing down over his throat. "I should fucking kill you." It was a dangerous whisper, one that sent chills down Rachel's spine. "Leave her alone, you got me? If you come near my girlfriend again, I **will** kill you and no power on this Earth will stop me. You got it? She's **off limits**. I thought I made that clear this morning."

'You did.." Michael wheezed, only to have his air cut off almost completely when Puck growled and pressed his forearm more forcefully in his neck.

"Then _why_?"

"Qu...Qui...Quinn.." The boy stuttered out, terrified by the look he saw in Puck's eyes.

"Quinn what? Put a gun to your head?" He growled. "Leave Rachel Berry alone. This is your final warning, dude. If I ever see you around her again, I'm gonna stomp you into the ground."

"Noah?" Rachel hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder. "Noah, let him go." He turned his head and she saw the blaze in his eyes slowly fade. "Let him go.." She whispered.

Puck turned back to Michael, brought his face an inch away from his. "You're lucky she's here, asshole." Puck pushed him away, felt satisfaction when Michael's head slammed against the lockers. "Get out of here." He watched Michael run away before he turned his attention back to Rachel. "Are you okay?'

Rachel looked down over herself and nodded. "I'm fine. I didn't get any on me."

He nodded once, satisfied. "Good." He looped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her with him down the hall. "Come with me."

********************************

Puck opened the door of the locker room and looked around. "No one's here."

Rachel walked through, a look of uncertainty on her face. "Are you sure this is okay?"

Puck huffed and grabbed her hand. "Rachel, I wouldn't bring you here if I didn't think it was okay. There is no one here and Coach always leaves after lunch until practice. You won't get in trouble." He led her to his locker and sat her down on the bench in front of it. He opened his locker, pulled out a clean shirt. "Good thing I had this." He turned and smiled at her.

Rachel tried to smile, but she felt horrible. "I'm sorry, Noah. If I hadn't slapped Quinn, none of this would be happening." She stood up, started undoing the buttons on his shirt.

"It's not your fault, Rachel." He really tried to think about something else. _Anything else_. He thought about his mother and the time that she found his happy sock. The absolute mortification that he felt when she held it up with a pair of kitchen tongs and asked him what the hell it was. It wasn't working.. God, she smelled good. Vanilla and Mint, a combination that never failed to arouse him was weaving its way through the room. He kept his eyes on her, saw the flush creep up in her cheeks. Oh God, she was turned on.

Rachel finished with the buttons and spread the halves wide to reveal his tight blue undershirt. She murmured for him to lean forward, so she could slide the white shirt down his arms. She balled the shirt up in her hands and started to wipe the purple slushie off his face. She tried to think about something else, like the time her crazy Aunt Mauryeen got her a vibrator for her 15th birthday and thought that it was so cute that it was pink. Rachel was mortified. I mean really, who got their niece a_ vibrator _for her birthday? She finished with his face and dropped the shirt. Her hands went to the blue undershirt, gently pulled the fabric out of his jeans. She pulled it up and he raised his arms and helped her pull it over his head. She looked at his muscular chest and abdomen and for the first time actually considered using her present when she got home.

Puck dropped the blue shirt on the floor, watched Rachel's eyes darken with lust. Her small hand touched his abs and he nearly died. _No baking cookies... No baking cookies.._ his mind chanted over and over. Her hand flattened against him and ran up to his chest, just underneath his nipple ring.

"When did you get this?" She asked, her voice sounded foreign to her. She fingered it lightly, heard his sharp intake of breath. Something inside her snapped. She looked up at his face and did it again. She didn't know what possessed her. Maybe it was the fact that he had saved her from a slushie bath. Maybe it was the fact that he looked so angry at that guy... he really looked sexy when he was angry. She leaned forward, pressed a kiss to the ring, used her lips to pull it slightly. Suddenly, she was turned and pushed up against the lockers, surrounded by six feet of aroused male.

He kissed her ravenously, eating at her mouth. Soothing with his tongue. His hands caressed her sides, pulling her blouse out of her skirt. They traveled north, his strong hands cupped her breasts, his fingers pinching her nipples through the silk. She gasped, tried to break the kiss, but his strong hand cupped the back of her neck, pressed his lips to hers. His kisses turned raw, completely incendiary. His hand worked the buttons of her blouse, almost tearing the buttons off with his haste. He spread the garment, looked down and groaned at the site of her breasts pushed up by the white lace. He kissed the top of each breast, bit her nipples through the lace. She whimpered quietly, her fingers laced through his hair.

_This was madness. _She thought, his mouth moving down her body, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. He pressed kisses to her stomach, his tongue dipping into her belly button. "Noah.. we can't.."

"Shut up, Rachel." Puck growled, moving to his knees in front of her. He reached down and caressed her ankles, moving his hands up her legs in a sweeping motion. His hands reached her hips and he fingered the sides of her panties. He hands moved back, cupped her ass. Brought a hand foreword, caressed between her legs through the lace. "Spread your legs." She opened her legs a tiny bit, but he wasn't satisfied. He moved his burning gaze to her face. "Wider." he whispered, brought his mouth to her stomach, pressed kisses over to tummy, over her skirt to kiss her hip bone.

His mouth was hot. So hot that she thought she would burn. She spread her legs wider, felt that wicked hand doing magical things. She felt like she was in a trance, only able to do the things that he wanted her to. She felt the lace fabric slide down her legs and stepped out of them without a second thought. _What's happening to me?_

Puck looked at her with awe. With her shirt undone with her breasts pushed up, her dusk colored nipples almost visible through the lace pattern, her black skirt in front of him, her lace panties hooked around one ankle, she looked like the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He caressed her smooth leg, brought it up to rest her knee on his shoulder, opening her up to him. Her skirt was hiding her from him and Puck fingered the hanging material lightly. He kissed the inside of her thigh on his shoulder, brought a hand up to cup her breast. "Rachel.." His breath fast and hot against her sensitive skin. "Lift up your skirt." He trailed his hand down her body from her breast and took her hand in his. He brought her hand to his lips, pressed wet, open mouthed kisses over her fingers and knuckles. She took her hand from his lips and lifted her skirt. "Keep it up." He wasted no time. He feasted.

At the first touch of his lips, Rachel's head slammed back onto the locker. When he tasted her with long, slow licks of his tongue she moaned loud and low in her throat. She felt his tongue flick against that magical spot. Once, twice, three times. She groaned again, her hand cupped the back of his head. His mouth latched on her sensitive nub, inserted his finger inside of her. He sucked. Hard. The scream tore from the depths of her diaphragm, she pushed her hips against his mouth, begging for more. He curled his finger inside of her and she exploded.

When she came back to Earth, Puck was standing, holding her close. "You cheated!" She exclaimed.

He laughed into her hair. He kissed her soundly, enjoying the feel of her small hands on his back. "You said I could kiss you, Rachel Caroline. You never said_ where_."


	9. Sweet Caroline

**A/N: Thanks to everyone again for all the great reviews! Also, I know that Rachel's middle name is Barbara, but I changed it for this story. Also, Finn isn't exactly as he seems in this chapter... The plot thickens!**

**I'm not really happy with this chapter, but I have a severe case of writers block.**

**Anyway, how about last week's episode??? SQUUEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Chapter Nine: Sweet Caroline **

They were still arguing about what exactly constituted as cheating when they walked into the empty choir room later that day. Puck felt good. Really good. With Rachel's small body, still swimming in his letterman, pressed against his side he felt at peace for the first time since his father had walked out. He looked down at her face, still flushed from what he had done to her, and smirked. "You know, Rachel, if you ever want to cheat, just let me know. I'd be more than happy to help you develop your cheating ways." He licked his lips suggestively, gave her a meaningful look. She made a disgusted sound and pushed him away. He didn't miss her smile.

Rachel shrugged out of his jacket, threw it at his head. "You're a pig, Noah Puckerman!" She exclaimed, laughingly.

He pulled the jacket over his head in time to see her walk away, her hips swaying saucily. He laughed, enjoyed the view. "Oink, oink, baby." She looked over her shoulder at him, raised her eyebrow, and he read the message clearly. _Really? Come and get me... _He dropped his gear and ran after her. She shrieked, laughed, tried to run but he was too fast. Before she cleared the piano, he scooped her up in his arms. He twirled them around in fast, tight circles. She leaned her head back, wrapped an arm around his neck and let herself go.

Rachel's laughter was the first thing Finn Hudson heard before he walked into the choir room. _Good. _he thought. He needed to talk to her. He needed to find out how Puck knew all that stuff about her. Part of him thought that it was all bullshit, that she was using Puck to make him jealous, but he needed to be sure. Finn was sure of himself when he walked into the open door. Then he wasn't sure of anything.

He watched Puck cradle Rachel in his arms before spinning her around. He heard their laughter and felt like an idiot. He had never seen Puck look at a girl like that before. Like she was important, special. He heard Rachel's laughing whisper.."Stop.. stop.. you're making me dizzy." Finn heard Puck's laughter and was shocked to realize that it was genuine. It wasn't malicious or mocking. He didn't think he had ever heard Puck laugh at Rachel in genuine amusement. It was surreal. Absolutely fucking weird. It was like watching a train wreck. He couldn't say anything. Couldn't scream. All he could do was watch in horror as the girl he wanted smiled at his best friend the way she used to smile for _him_.

Puck halted their spinning, smiled down into Rachel's flushed face. The smile on her face told him everything he needed to know. He made her happy. **Him**. Noah Puckerman made Rachel Berry happy. "You make me dizzy, Rachel." He whispered, dropping his lips to hers. The kiss was sweet. Almost chaste. It was unlike any kiss he had ever given anyone. This kiss was nothing like the consuming kisses he had given her in the locker room, or the desperate ones he had given her in his room last night. Never breaking the kiss, he lowered her legs to the ground. Once she had her footing he closed the distance between them, cradled her face in his hands.

Rachel felt his kisses in her soul. How could go from what happened in the locker room to kissing her like she was the only thing in his world that mattered? Each kiss was deeper than the last, but they were not meant to arouse. They were meant to cherish. _She would... _She promised herself. She would cherish every moment. Every single second.

Puck pressed one more achingly tender kiss to her lips before he pulled away. He rested his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes. There was something in her eyes, something that he had never seen before. It pressed his heart into his throat and he found it hard to speak. "Rachel, this isn't just about baking cookies for me." His voice was rough with emotion. Something he didn't really care to think about at the moment. "You know that, don't you?"

Rachel looked into his eyes, saw the swarm that was trying to break to the surface. She smiled at him, brought her hands to cup his face as he was doing to her. He closed his eyes at her touch and in that moment she felt something more for him than just friendship or lust. It was something more than even caring. She couldn't speak but she wanted him to know that she felt the same way. She reached up, kissed his forehead, his closed eyelids. She heard his sharp intake of breath and waited until his eyes opened. They were diamond bright with intensity. "I know, Noah."

They started kissing again and Finn felt dirty. It was like he was watching something very private and he was a pervy bastard for not giving them the privacy the moment required. He backed out of the doorway and swore that he wasn't going to set foot in there until someone else did.

***********************************

Glee practice was strained at best. Finally, during a lackluster rendition of "Don't Stop Believing", Mr. Schuester finally couldn't take it anymore. "STOP! Stop... What the hell is going on?" He watched everyone look around, but didn't miss the glances that they were giving Puck, Rachel, Quinn and Finn. "Quinn, Finn, Rachel, Puck... can you come here for a moment?" He watched the four give each other glances before they walked over to the piano. Mr. Schue turned his attention to the rest of the group. "The rest of you, please work on the choreography." He led the four teens to one corner. "Please, tell me what is going on?" He was met with silence. "Guys, whatever is going on is hurting the group. There are only two and a half weeks until regionals. I need you guys on your game."

Rachel sighed. "I'm sorry, Quinn for slapping you. You made me angry, but that did not justify what I did." She felt Puck's hand on her shoulder and was grateful for his support.

Quinn glared at Rachel, but one quick glance at Mr. Schue had her pasting a smile on her face. "No problem." Quinn glanced at Puck and immediately felt horrible. "Rachel, Puck.. I'm sorry that I asked Michael to throw a slushie at Rachel. I didn't know that you would stand in front of it, Puck, and I'm sorry that it caused such a problem."

Finn shuffled from side to side, getting looks from Mr. Schue and Quinn. "Puck, I'm sorry that I said you didn't deserve Rachel. I'm also sorry that I hit you." He mumbled.

Puck smiled. "Sorry I called you a douche, man."

Finn's head snapped over to Puck. "When did you call me that?"

Puck's smile deepened. "Oh, you didn't hear that? Sorry dude!"

Rachel heard Finn grunt in response and wondered if that was a good thing. She didn't know much about the interaction of jocks, but Puck didn't seem too upset by the reaction. She looked over at Finn and Quinn and noticed the awkwardness between them. Something had happened between them, but what?

"Okay, now that we're done with the apologies, can we please get back to work?" Mr. Schue asked, his annoyance and relief evident in his voice.

"Of course!" Rachel beamed.

After going over "Don't Stop Believing" one more time, they moved on to "Somebody to Love". Puck couldn't help being annoyed every time Finn gave Rachel one of his stupid goofy boy smiles. Rachel would smile back, but always find a way to give Puck a wink. That made him feel slightly better.

Once they had finally finished with the group numbers, Mr. Schue had everyone on the risers. "So, had anyone been working on anything new?" Mr. Schue asked, a small smile on his face.

Puck's eyes lit up. After seeing Rachel apologize to Quinn, he wanted to make her smile again like he had before practice. He had an idea.. "I've been working on something." He hadn't been. It was a total lie. But... if he could pull it off, he would be the **man**!

"Oh yeah? " Mr. Schue laughed, completely aware of the look of utter disbelief that crossed over Rachel Berry's face.

Puck was already out of his seat, his guitar in his hands. "It's my personal tribute to a musical Jewish icon." His eyes locked with Rachel's and he saw the question in her eyes.

Mr. Schue smiled. "Sounds great! Let's hear it." He told Puck, taking a seat on the risers.

Puck took a deep breath and began playing. He watched Rachel sit up straighter in her chair and he knew.. just _knew_.. if he could pull this off he would be a stud.. a fucking **stud**!

_Where it began, I can't begin to know when  
But then I know it's growing strong  
Oh, wasn't the spring  
And spring became the summer  
Who'd believe you'd come along_

She was looking at him with those big doe eyes that never failed to give him butterflies in his stomach. He walked over to her, in front of the group, and sang right to her. For her.

_Hands, touching hands, reaching out  
Touching me, touching you_

Then she was smiling at him. He smiled back. Couldn't help it. When she smiled at him in that way, with those big eyes and gorgeous lips, there was no defense.

_Oh, sweet Caroline  
Good times never seem so good  
I've been inclined to believe it never would_

She giggled. He couldn't _believe_ it! She actually giggled! It made him feel like Bruce Lee and Superman and GI Joe all wrapped up into one.

_Oh, sweet Caroline  
Good times never seem so good  
Oh I've been inclined to believe it never would_

Looking at her then, with a smile on her face and a sparkle in her eye, he realized it. It was out of the blue and completely knocked the wind out of him.

_Oh.... No.... No.._

He was in love with Rachel Berry.

***************************

Finn and Quinn sat in the empty choir room. Her heart was breaking as she sobbed. "He's in love with her, you know." Finn told her, his arm draped over her shoulders.

"I know." Quinn replied, brokenly, her head resting on his shoulder.

"You need to tell him soon."

"Why? So you can be with Rachel?"

"No!" Finn exclaimed, amazed. "I told you that I would be here for you and I will. I love you, Quinn."

"I love you, too." She whispered, raising her lips for a kiss.

"When are you going to tell Puck that he's the father of your baby?" Finn asked her, his hand coming up to the side of her face.

"I don't know. How can I? I already told him that he wasn't."

Finn sighed, rested his head against hers. "We'll figure it out, baby. No matter what." He gathered her up in his arms. "I love you, Quinn. You and Drizzle."

Quinn laughed despite herself. "That is a horrible name, Finn. There is no way in hell that I am naming my daughter Drizzle. I doubt Puck would like it either."

"I'm sure when the time comes you, me, Puck, and Rachel will figure it out." Finn told her, kissing the top of her head. "The four of us will figure it out."

"Sure.." Quinn scoffed. "If they both don't hate us."

Finn gathered her in his arms and sighed. "They won't hate us." He told her, rocking them back and forth while she cried. They would hate _her_. Not him. He would make sure of it. Then Rachel Berry would be his.

Neither one saw a stunned Rachel and Puck standing in the doorway.


	10. Helpless

**A/N: Thank you again for all the kind reviews and alerts! **

**I know this chapter is a little short, but I have to move along the story. Also, I really couldn't make Finn a complete ass.. Sorry.. LOL**

**Also, a big thanks to Rachel for reviewing this chapter for me! :)**

**Chapter Ten: Helpless**

Finn Hudson had a plan. He wasn't proud of it, but what choice did he have? _You always have a choice. _He thought, hugging Quinn closer to his chest. There is always a choice. He could almost hear his mother's disapproval of his thoughts, not to mention Rachel's if she ever found out. He was a good guy. At least that was what everyone always told him. He didn't feel like a good guy right now with what he was thinking, what he was planning. He pulled away from Quinn and stood up. He needed to think..

"What's wrong?" Quinn asked, wiping the tears from her face.

"What's wrong? Are you serious?" He wanted to explode. To punch something. "You lied to me! You had sex with Puck and tried to pass his baby off as mine! What's not wrong?" He ran his hands through his hair. He wanted to scream.

Quinn was shocked. "But you said.."

"I know what I said!" He exploded, his breath coming out in heavy bursts. "I know!" Finn walked over to the piano and rested his hands against it, his back to Quinn. "You want to know the first thing I thought when I found out?"

His voice was so low, Quinn had to strain to hear him. "What?"

"I felt relieved. I felt _happy_." He shook his head. "Do you have any idea what kind of bastard I feel like right now? I wanted to find Rachel and tell her that we could be together, that Puck was the father and we didn't have anything between us anymore." He stared down at the piano, looked at the reflection he saw and wondered who he was looking at. "I was going to use you, Quinn. I was going to use you and the baby to get with Rachel. What does that make me? What kind of guy does that make me?"

"I don't know.." Quinn whispered, getting up out of her seat. She walked over to him, rested a hand on his back. "You're not a bad guy, Finn. I lied. I lied to you and Puck. I was horrible to him, Finn. When he found out I was pregnant he came up to me and told me that he wanted to take care of the baby. That he would be there. You know what I said? I told him that he was a Lima loser and he was never going to leave this place. I told him that I didn't want him near me, or his kid. What kind of person does that make me?"

"I was going to make them hate you." He whispered, turned around to face her. "I wish I could hate you. It would make everything so much easier if I still didn't care about you. If i didn't care about the baby."

Quinn looked into his eyes and felt ashamed for both of them. "You still want Rachel, don't you?"

"I still want both of you." He shook his head and for some reason smiled. "I guess not much changed, huh?"

Quinn found herself smiling back in spite of her problems. "I guess not." She wrapped her arms around her stomach. "It'll never work you know. You're plan? They're in love with each other."

Finn felt like someone punched him in the gut. He hated to admit it. "You're right." He felt his body drain of energy. He sat weakly on the floor. He looked up at Quinn and smiled. "I wouldn't have been able to do it anyway."

Quinn smiled tenderly, knelt in front of him. "I know."

"I love you, you know. Just not the way I should." Finn buried his head in his hands. "I care about you. I love you, but I'm not in love with you."

Quinn's tinkling laugh filled the empty room. "Me too, Finn. Me too."

Neither of them saw Puck and Rachel back out of the doorway.

*********************************

They rode to her house in silence. Each lost in their own thoughts. Puck didn't know what to think, what to feel. He was angry, upset. Completely adrift. He felt frozen inside, on complete auto pilot. What was he supposed to think? By the time he pulled into Rachel's driveway he didn't want to think at all. He was grateful that she didn't say anything, just led him into her bedroom. He followed her through the door, dropped his bag and guitar case to the floor. He walked further into the room, brought his shaking hands up to his head.

Rachel watched him, worried. He hadn't said anything since they accidentally uncovered the truth about Quinn's baby. She sat down on her bed, tried not to flinch when he slammed his hands down on her dresser. She watched him in the mirror, his head bowed as he rested his weight on his hands. His breath was coming out in fast, harsh pants through his clenched teeth. She wanted to hold him, kiss him, tell him that it would be okay. She wasn't sure that he would let her. Noah in temper was like a bomb, volatile and intense. Especially when he was blindsided by something. She sat her bed and waited for him to say something.

Anything.

"She lied to me!" Puck burst out angrily, once again slamming his hands on her dresser. His head snapped up and he caught her eyes in the mirror. "I looked right into her eyes and she lied to me!" He shook his head, tried to calm down. It wasn't working. "She's pregnant with _my_ baby. Mine! Not Finn's!"

"I know.."

He went on as if he hadn't heard her. "Then, to top it all off, Finn was going to use Quinn and my kid to get to you? What the fuck? Did he think that I was just going to drop you when I found out? That I was going to get together with Quinn and give him free reign to be with you? Never! You're **mine**. I'm not going to sit by and let him take you from me."

Rachel's heart skipped a beat at his possessive declaration. "Noah, I don't want to be with Finn." She held his gaze in the mirror as she walked over to him, placed her hand on his back. "I want _you_, Noah. Not Finn."

He shook his head in wonder. He knew how Finn looked at her. How she used to look at him. Why wouldn't she want to be with him? "Why?"

His voice was a raw whisper that stole her breath from her lungs. "What?"

"Why?" He asked again, turning to face her. "Why not be with Finn? You heard him. I'm the father of Quinn's baby and you guys can be together now. I'm not stupid, Rachel. I knew that was the only reason that you and him weren't together."

She clutched his face in her hands and shook it. "You listen to me, Noah Puckerman! I am only going to say this one more time. I want **you**! I don't care that you are the father of Quinn's baby. That's something that you and I can work through. I'll be by your side through all of it, if you'll let me." When he said nothing, she got upset. "Do you want me to go be with Finn, then? Is this you giving me an out or something?"

"If you want an out, then leave! I'm not going to keep you in a situation you don't want to be in!"

She pulled her hands away from his face like he burned her. Her eyes flashed with fire. "You know, I have already slapped someone today, don't think I won't do it again! I'm not going anywhere! I know you're angry and upset with Quinn and Finn about the baby, but you are not going to push me away! Do you really want a repeat of last year? Think about it!" She blew out a breath, her eyes softened. "We could have had this last year. We can have everything we want as long as we are together. _Together_, Noah."

Puck closed his eyes and sighed. "You're right." He whispered, opened his eyes. He brought his hand up, ran it down her hair. "I'm sorry." He cupped her face in his hands and wondered how he got so damn lucky. "I'm sorry.." He whispered again. He kissed her softly, lingered at her lips before he pulled back. "I'm an asshole."

"Yeah.." She agreed, laughing. "But you're_ my _asshole." He laughed with her, let go of her face. "Give me a second.." She whispered, moving across the room.

He watched her fiddle with her iPod and speakers. "What are you doing?"

"Just wait a second." She told him as she pressed buttons. When she was satisfied, she walked back over to him. "Dance with me."

He smiled. "Now?"

"Yes." He took her into his arms and she smiled at him. "This is how I feel.. Just listen." She told him, rested her head against his chest. The soft beginning notes of a song filled the room. He began to sway them to the slow beat of the music. He listened.

_I can stand with the weight of the world  
On my shoulders  
I can fight with the toughest of the tough  
I can laugh in the face  
Of all my insecurities  
Anytime, anywhere, anything  
I'm strong enough  
_

Her heart was racing. What would he say? What would he do? She tried not to think about it, just let herself sway and listen to his heart beat.

_But when you're holding me like this  
I'm carelessly lost in your touch  
I'm completely defenseless  
Baby, it's almost too much  
I'm helplessly, hopelessly, recklessly  
Falling in love_

Puck's mind raced. What exactly was she trying to tell him? He watched her when she pulled her head away from his chest. Moved her head next to his and sang in his ear. They continued to sway._  
_

_So let consequence do what it will to us  
I don't care  
Let the stars stand as witness to it all  
Say the word and tonight I will follow you anywhere  
I just can't pretend anymore  
I'm too sturdy to fall  
_

She put her heart into the song, hoping that he would understand. That he would accept.

_Cause when you're holding me like this  
I'm carelessly lost in your touch  
I'm completely defenseless  
Baby, it's almost too much  
I'm helplessly, hopelessly, recklessly  
Falling in love  
_

As they continued to sway, she felt him pull her head back. He looked into her eyes and she was lost.

He kissed her slowly, unhurriedly.

_I am not afraid  
I am not afraid_

She pulled away from the kiss and sang the last verse looking into his eyes.

'_Cause when you're holding me like this  
I'm carelessly lost in your touch  
I'm completely defenseless  
Baby, it's almost too much  
I'm helplessly, hopelessly, recklessly  
Falling...  
(Helplessly, hopelessly, recklessly falling)  
I'm helplessly, hopelessly, recklessly  
Falling in love _

The music drifted away and Puck felt his heart stammer in his chest. She was so beautiful, so perfect. She wanted him, flaws and all. He felt the words bubble up in his chest and he let them out without a second thought. "I love you, Rachel."


	11. Let My People Go

**A/N: I apologize for this taking so long!! I really had a bad case of writer's block and if it wasn't for my beta, Katy, this chapter probably still wouldn't be done. I thank everyone for all the reviews and I promise I will try my best to answer each one I recieve from now on.**

**This chapter does contain some smut, so if you don't like it, please skip over it. Also, there is a line that I borrowed from btvs (because James Marsters is still a hot God). There is also a line from Harry Potter.**

**Special thanks to Katy! You rock my socks, girl!**

**Chapter Eleven: Let My People Go**

_He felt the words bubble up in his chest and he let them out without a second thought. "I love you, Rachel."_

She blinked. More than once. He didn't know if it was some kind of Morse code for an SOS or if she had something in her eye. Either way, he didn't know why the hell he had told her. What had he been thinking? He just found out that he knocked up his best friend's girlfriend and now he was professing his love to a girl that he had thrown slushies at for the last year. She opened her mouth for what was sure to be a long speech. "Wait! Don't say anything!" Puck cried, panicked.

"But I wanted to..."

"Just wait, okay? I need to say a few things first, and then I will let you say whatever you want." He blew out a breath. "Look, I'm not very good at feelings and shit. You know that better than anyone. I fuck up a lot. I tend to think a little south of my brain, which usually gets me in a lot of trouble. I've done some totally fucked up things that I know you know about. I've done some things I don't want you to _ever _know about." He blew out a breath, led her over to the bed and sat her down. He knelt in front of her. "I know that I don't have the right to tell you that I love you. Not yet. I've done nothing but fuck up your life for the past year because I was an idiot."

Rachel smiled down at him, "We were both idiots."

"You're not the one that threw the slushies, Rachel."

"You're not the one who walked away first." She put a finger to his lips when he tried to speak. "I never thought that we would ever be together like that, Noah. It was so unbelievable, so unexpected. I didn't know how to react. How you would react. I was scared that you would regret what happened."

Puck shook his head, removed her fingers from his lips. "I didn't regret it, Rachel. It was-"

Rachel smiled, cupped his face in her hand. "I know, Noah," she whispered. "I woke up the next morning and didn't know what to do. So I ran." She shook her head at her own stupidity. "I should have told you that I was scared. I should have done lots of different things. I never should have shut you out. I hurt you more than I thought I ever would and I am so very sorry for it." She leaned down and pressed her lips against his. The kiss was slow, unhurried. "I love you, Noah."

Puck let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Rachel," he breathed.

"When I tell you I love you, it's not because you said it first or because I think I need to say it back. I've seen the best and the worst of you and I know with perfect clarity exactly what you are."

"What am I?" Puck asked, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"You're the one, Noah." Rachel felt her eyes fill with tears. "I've been in love with you since I was eight and I moved in next door." She wrapped her arms around him, buried her face in his neck. "It's always been you."

Puck let out a shaky sigh and buried his face in her hair. "I love you." He heard her giggle and his heart soared. "Think that's funny, do you?"

"No!" Rachel giggled again, pulling back to look in his eyes. "It makes me happy."

"Good." He kissed her then, a slow kiss that curled her toes. "So, you wanna make out?"

"Sure."

Twenty minutes (and one Puck-induced orgasm) later, Rachel was lying back on her bed, Puck's strong arm wrapped around her middle. Her iPod still played in the background while Puck's hand caressed one bra-clad breast between the open halves of her shirt. "You really do have perfect tits, Berry."

Rachel couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up in her throat. "You are vulgar, Noah Puckerman."

Puck smiled. "Yeah, but you love me anyway." He pressed a kiss on the top of each breast before pressing a sweet kiss to her stomach and lying his head on her flat tummy. They laid in peaceful silence for a few minutes. "I still can't believe she's pregnant with my kid." Rachel made a small noise in her throat, brought a hand to his head to run over his Mohawk. "I remember when Finn told me she was pregnant. My heart stopped. I mean, I had been with tons of girls and she was the one that I got pregnant?"

"It must have been hard for you."

"Yeah. When she told me that I wasn't the father I felt happy. You and I were finally starting to get back together and Finn is my best friend. When he hit me, the first thing I thought was that he knew what I did. Maybe he did, I don't know." He raised his head to look at her, rested his chin on her stomach. "I probably shouldn't be talking to you about it."

"Why?"

"You're my girlfriend. I just found out that I knocked up someone else."

"And your point is?"

"You're a weird chick, Berry." Puck whispered, shaking his head. "Most girls would have dropped me like a bad habit."

"I'm not most girls." Rachel replied, raising her arms over her head for a long stretch.

Puck ogled her body. "Definitely not." He pounced on her, his hands covering her wrists, his hips pressing between her legs. She moaned softly from the contact and he pressed himself harder against her. "But you never have been, have you, Rachel?" he asked wickedly.

She smirked (at least it looked like a smirk to Puck). "Noah, I never know what I am when I'm with you."

"You're mine." He growled.

Rachel smiled at his possessiveness. "I am."

"Damn right you are." He pressed hot wet kisses to her neck and down her collar bone. He seriously couldn't get enough of her if he tried.

Rachel wiggled one hand out of his grasp and pulled at his Mohawk until he pulled his teasing mouth away. He looked up at her with a question in his eyes. Her hand tightened in his hair. "Do you belong to me?"

Puck's smile was nothing short of roguish. "You already know the answer to that, Berry."

Rachel ground her hips up against his and was satisfied when she heard his moan. "I want to hear you say it," she whispered, bringing his head close to hers. "I want to hear you say, 'I belong to you, Rachel'." She pressed her hips up again, rubbed her breasts against his chest.

"God damn, Berry."

"Say it," she whispered, grazing her mouth against his. "Tell me you belong to me."

He tried to kiss her but somehow, even pinned down to her bed, he can't get to her lips. "Jesus Rachel."

She was turned on. She would never admit it, but being helpless to Puck's mercy was like her dirtiest fantasy come to life. "Just tell me," she practically moaned, brushing her lips all over his face.

"God you're fucking sexy when you bring out your crazy." Puck moaned, finally catching her lips in a hot, sucking kiss. "I'm yours, Berry. I've always been yours."

Something snapped, shifted. They tore at each other's clothes. Almost ripping them off in their haste. Rachel heard the fragile lace of her bra tear over the frantic beating of her heart. Normally, she would have complained and demanded that he buy her a new one, but at the moment all she cared about was getting his skin against hers. Faster, faster, faster until his warmth and scent surrounded her.

Twin moans echoed through the room when their skin finally met. Rachel rubbed her suddenly aching breasts against Puck's chest and gasped when the cool metal of his nipple ring brushed her own. His mouth crashed down on hers in a wet, toe curling kiss that only fueled her fire more. She dug her small nails into his back with her one free hand, tried her best to pull him against her harder, to feel his full weight against her. Puck pulled her hand away from his back and anchored it over her head with her other hand. "Noah. Let me touch you," she whispered against his skin. "I need to touch you."

Puck's grip tightened on her hands. His hot gaze raked over her body, paid special attention to her breasts. He shook his head. "I don't think so. I think I like you at my mercy, Berry."

"Well, I don't," she whimpered, trying in vain to free her hands. She was lying and she knew it.

So did he. Puck's lips brushed her ear as he spoke. "I think you do. I think that under all that prim and proper you're nothing but a little perv." He laughed at her gasp of outrage. "You don't think so?"

"No!"

His free hand moved down her body slowly until it rested on her ass beneath her skirt. "Should I test it?" he whispered darkly, stealing her lips in a crushing kiss. The spank shocked her. The sting of his hand against her skin sent a delicious tightening to her core. She moaned into his mouth and pressed herself harder against him. Their tongues tangled, hips ground together. The second slap brought more of that hot white pressure until she thought that she might explode. The third and fourth left her reeling until she thought she might die. He broke off their kiss, lightly ran a hand over her ass as he spoke. "That's what I thought, Berry," he whispered smugly. "So much untapped potential. Believe me when I say that I can't wait to tap it."

It took a minute for his words to seep into her lust addled brain. Once they took root, however, Rachel was not amused. "You are an ill-mannered, prat!" Rachel hissed.

Rachel's stony expression had Puck's smile faltering. "Rach-"

"Get off me, Puck," Rachel grit out through clenched teeth.

Puck rolled off of her. He watched her in confusion as she got off the bed and walked over to her dresser. He followed her from a distance, because, trust him, you don't want to get in Rachel Berry's way when she's like this or she will blow a gasket of fucking epic proportions. "Baby?" he asked slowly, because he wasn't a complete moron. "What's wrong?"

Rachel slowly pulled a pink Rainbow Brite t-shirt over her head. The contrast of her black skirt against the bright pink shirt was enough to make even her wince. She turned and calmly shimmied out of her skirt, ignoring Puck, and put on a pair of pink yoga pants. She ran her hands through her hair, tried to calm her thundering heart. "I apologize for my lack of control."

"What?" He asked, pulling himself off the bed. "What are you talking about?"

She went on as if she hadn't heard him. "I do not know what came over me. I have researched that some people have different 'kinks', for lack of a better term, and I understand that-"

"Hey. Wait a minute," Puck interjected, coming up to her. He stared for a moment before it hit him. "You don't need to be embarrassed, Rachel." He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her face into his chest. "I keep forgetting that you are still really innocent." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry."

Rachel pulled her head away from his chest, looked into his eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You're not the one who is having issues."

"Rachel, you wouldn't be having 'issues' if it wasn't for me. It's just that I know that we have had sex before, so I forget that it was only one time. I need to remember to be gentle with you. You're special to me." Puck kissed her softly, a slight brush of lips, before delving into her mouth with long, sure strokes of his tongue against hers. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Noah," Rachel whispered. They stayed wrapped together until the sound of the doorbell fractured the silence that had enveloped them. "I wonder who that could be."

Puck pulled away from her and started looking for his shirt. "I don't know, but go down there and I'll be there as soon as I find my damn shirt."

Rachel was halfway down the stairs when the bell rang again. She hurried down the remainder of the stairs and wondered who could be so impatient at her door. She flung the door open and was shocked. "Finn! Quinn! What are you doing here?"

Finn had the grace to look sheepish. "We were just driving through the neighborhood and I saw Puck's truck-" He shuffled his feet and tried to find the words. "We thought-"

"Can we come in?" Quinn asked, shooting Finn a dirty look. "It's cold and I don't want my baby living in an ice cube."

The mention of Puck's baby was enough to have Rachel pulling Quinn through the door, ignoring Finn's confused stare as he trudged though her door. "Please come in," Rachel said quietly, closing the door behind Finn. They stood in an awkward silence, each looking at the other to start some sort of conversation. Rachel broke the ice first. "Are you hungry, Quinn? I have snacks in the kitchen."

Quinn blinked owlishly. Rachel being nice to her wasn't new, but it always seemed to shock her. "Sure." She replied, rubbing her almost non-existent bump. "I am kinda hungry."

Rachel smiled and led them into the kitchen. As she rummaged through her cabinets, her mind was racing. What were they doing here? She knew that they hadn't seen Puck and Rachel earlier today when they learned the true paternity of Quinn's baby. "I found crackers." She handed the box to Quinn and almost smiled when she attacked them with vigor. "So," Rachel began nervously. "Did you need to speak with Noah?"

"Sort of," Finn mumbled, looking down at his feet. "Where is he?"

"He's upstairs. He said he would be down in a moment-"

Rachel was cut off when her bedroom door slammed upstairs. Puck's voice floated through the house. "Jesus, Rachel! Remind me not to piss you off anytime soon. You chucked my shirt fucking **behind** your dresser. I mean, I know I got you hot, but fuck!" Rachel slapped a hand over her flaming face. She heard Finn moan and Quinn choke, but couldn't bring herself to say anything. "I mean, God, I don't even want to know what you could do with something that had some damn weight." Rachel finally had the nerve to look at them. Finn looked murderous. Quinn looked down sickly at her crackers. "You should try out for softball, baby. I'd love to see your hot ass in those tight pants. Especially when I can take you home and hit a home run."

"Noah!" Rachel cried out. She was completely mortified. "I am so sorry!" Rachel exclaimed, running out of the kitchen to head him off as he came down the stairs. "Noah Moses Puckerman! We have company!" She hissed, hitting him in the arm.

Puck winced. It was the only fucking thing about him that he wished to God she didn't know. "Jeez, Berry. Chill on the middle name, okay?" It was kinda hard to be a stud if everyone knew his middle name.

"I will do no such thing! You knew there were people down here!" She narrowed her eyes at him. "If you ever embarrass me like that again, I will go into an impromptu version of _Let My People Go _whenever I see you!"

He smirked. "You always sing, Berry."

"Someone would ask why eventually and I would be more than happy to tell everyone exactly why!"

His smirk vanished. "You're fucking scary. You know that right?" He watched her eyes fall to slits. "Sexy as hell! But fucking scary."

Puck tried to pull Rachel into his arms, but she evaded him. "As much as you know I adore Harry Potter and Ron and Hermione, your lines will not work this time." She grabbed his hand, pulled him toward the kitchen. She heard him mumble something under his breath about Draco Malfoy. "Draco Malfoy was an arrogant worm! Ron is much better suited for her. Now if we can go, there are people here who wish to speak with you."

He went willingly until a thought occurred to him. "It's not your dads is it?" He saw her roll her eyes and felt a little better until he saw who was in the kitchen. He felt Rachel squeeze his hand, but he could barely feel it under the rage and betrayal. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Pinky and the Brain."

"Who?" Finn asked, looking over at Quinn to make sure he wasn't being insulted. He didn't know who Pinky or the Brain was. He saw Quinn's lips twitch, so he figured it wasn't that bad. "Who's Pinky?"

Puck snorted. "Three guesses, Hudson." He heard Rachel chuckle next to him and he almost smiled. He looked at Quinn and tried hard not to stare at her stomach. At his_ kid_. He pulled his eyes away from her and looked down at Rachel, who had decided to attach herself to his side. He pulled her closer, kissed her hair. He was really glad he had her support. "So why are you here?"

"We were driving by and we noticed that you were here-" Finn began.

"We need to talk to you." Quinn interrupted, elbowing Finn in the side. "It's kinda important."

"Really?" Puck looked them both over and tried to hold onto his temper. His eyes settled on Finn. "So what do you want to talk about first? The fact that I'm the daddy of the bun in Quinn's oven? Or maybe how about the fact that you were going to use my kid to get my girlfriend?" He pushed away from Rachel and crossed the room before she could lay a hand on him. The crack of Puck's fist into Finn's face was almost as satisfying as touching Rachel's boobs. "Total dick move, Hudson."


End file.
